Calcalist, Dror Marmor, 06.05.2020
Just before Ya'akov Litzman takes up the post of Minister of Construction and Housing (if the High Court does not change the plans of the Knesset members), the ministry is already openly talking about the damage caused in recent years by the marketing and construction of tens of thousands of apartments in open areas, and even formulating new plans to establish additional ultra-Orthodox cities.
According to senior ministry officials, there will be no escape from the establishment of additional ultra-Orthodox cities, since "the general public does not want to integrate a housing solution for the ultra-Orthodox, so they need their own cities." This was stated as part of a panel held at the UNO Academic Real Estate School.
The Ministry of Housing will probably seek to promote in the next government the establishment of the new ultra-Orthodox city Shafir west of Kiryat Gat. Kassif, the city planned near Arad, still encounters quite a few barriers, and even the ultra-Orthodox community is not convinced that it will be a solution due to its great distance from the central area.
Benny Dreyfus, outgoing CEO of the Housing Ministry (who was appointed CEO of Mifal Hapayis), stressed that despite the trend of building in existing cities and urban areas, he estimates that he will not escape the establishment of new ultra-Orthodox cities: "We realized five years ago that we did not want The goal was to create homogeneous neighborhoods in heterogeneous cities, but this goal is difficult to implement, and it is difficult to persuade ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods with thousands of housing units and public institutions. The ultra-Orthodox in all the cities, while the ultra-Orthodox public needs a large mass of solutions A housing. Mayors do not open your arms to receive them, and out of this distress we have to promote Haredi cities ".
On the subject of open spaces, Elazar Bamberger, CEO of the Ministry of Housing, said: “In recent years, we have chosen the quick and easy solution of open space planning because we were in a crisis situation in terms of housing. This is what allowed the price tenders for the resident and increased the stock of the apartments, but the price was the milling of the land and open spaces. Now the wheel is reversing, a change needs to be made and an emphasis is placed on optimizing the built fabric, both in urban renewal projects and in finding vacant and available lots for construction within existing neighborhoods. It turns out that there are thousands of such plots that over the years disappeared from the eyes of the authorities and no one took care of them. Today we locate them and plan them for construction. ”
Dreyfus shares estimates that price quotes for a buyer will no longer be published in a similar format: "The cost to the buyer has cost a lot of money - in grants, assumptions on land and development subsidies - and because of the recession we are probably going to, we will not be able to continue with the exact same plan." However, he noted that land tenders are expected to continue where the winner will be the developer to bid the lowest price per square meter.
Senior Housing and Taboo executives Shlomi Heisler noted the bureaucratic leap that is now underway in the Corona real estate industry. Bamberger: She opened our eyes to us and showed that we didn't need all the paperwork. The Ministry of Housing is now jumping a generation in providing the service. "
Heisler: "For two years, we have been conducting real estate registration processes online, and the difficulties of implementation have often been with the launching bodies. For example, we allow mortgages online but only two banks have joined the process so far. Banks and insurance companies have joined the service. Today, 95% of the taboo services can be provided remotely. "