Following many years of opposition by residents and the municipality in Petah Tikva, the District Planning and Building Commission has approved the vacating of the Sirkin army camp in Petah Tikva and the construction of 12,000 housing units there.
The plan sets development principles for the 2,600-dunam (650-acre) site, in which density of the housing units will be as determined by the Ministry of Defense. On the other hand, the space for commerce and industry will be 365,000 sq.m., almost double the amount in the corresponding alternatives, which will increase the municipality's revenues.
Located in eastern Petah Tikva near the Amishav and Hadar Ganim neighborhoods, the plan for the Sirkin base site was formulated and submitted in accordance with the government decision to vacate IDF camps in central Israel. The Sirkin camp will be vacated in stages between June 2018 and 2021, but up until now, the volume of construction on the site had not been set. The government now hopes that massive construction of housing units will help lower housing prices in the central region.
Under the plan, two parks will be built along the Mazor and Shilo Rivers, in addition to the old Hamishmar eucalyptus grove park near Kfar Sirkin. The plan also emphasizes the transportation aspects for providing a solution to the traffic jams in the area, with an emphasis on public transportation.
The plan stresses the nearby Tel Aviv light rail purple line and making it accessible to the new neighborhood in order to encourage the use of public transportation.
The plan also proposed that 200 dunam (50 acres) be withheld for future planning.
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on February 13, 2017
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