Calcalist, Ronen Niv, 03.09.2020
Along with the luxury hotels that are being built along the promenade in the ongoing development boom of Netanya, the high-rise residential towers are also occupying an increasing volume, on the way to the city's unofficial transformation into "the capital of towers of Israel."
The CBS data, which refer to the start of construction in 2019, also provide an indication of the upward spiral of construction in the city: housing units in towers of 21 floors and above accounted for 9% of total construction starts in Israel last year - 4,327 housing units out of 47,595 housing units - with Netanya at the top The ranking with 381 housing units and Kadima at the top of the list is Givatayim, Rishon Lezion and Ramla, with Tel Aviv and Jerusalem along with Kiryat Yam closing the top ten.
"Netanya is not afraid of high-rise construction, the opposite is true," says city council member Alon Elroy, who is in charge of engineering at the municipality. "Towers make it possible to profit the neighborhoods, increase the supply of apartments in the city and no less important - free up public areas for the benefit of the residents. In the construction of the towers the effect is twofold: both improving living standards and quality of living, A mix of uses will be part of the landscape of the renewed Netanya, and will provide an appropriate response to the expected increase in the coming years in the city's population. "
Data: CBS
These modern towers also constitute an important tier in the new neighborhoods of Netanya, including Ir Yamim, Kiryat Hasharon, Nof HaTaylet (Net / 600) and Agamim. Ir Yamim, for example, whose construction began in 2006 and is located adjacent to Poleg Beach, is already considered one of the leading luxury neighborhoods in Israel, largely due to the combination of luxurious towers and massive investment in public space by the local authority. The increase in its real estate value is evidenced by data from the Madeleine website, according to which in the last decade the average price of an apartment in the neighborhood has jumped by close to 40% - from NIS 2.18 million in March 2011 to NIS 3 million in June 2019.
"The luxury towers that rise on the shoreline in Netanya are first and foremost in the demographic aspect, and constitute a lever for attracting a population from a strong socio-economic status from the immediate area, but also overseas," explains Prof. Rasem Hamaisi, a city planner and lecturer in the Department of Geography. "In this way, the high-rise construction helps Netanya to brand itself in the luxury housing market, and in a broader view, thanks to the optimal location, train station and accessibility to major transportation arteries, also establishes hegemony as a leading metropolis between Tel Aviv and Haifa."
3 towers of 17-14 floors and 167 housing units. Project SPIRITImaging: Cube Studio
Smells like a spirit of youth
The new construction boom in the city and in the row of towers is attracting leading real estate players to Netanya, with one of the companies already operating in high gear in the field being YH Damari, one of the oldest and most experienced construction entities in Israel. , Amir Cohen, VP of Marketing and Sales at Damari Hospital, explains the reasons for the company's arrival in the city. "In the growth process of Netanya, the new towers play a key role, providing diverse housing options at reasonable prices in relation to Tel Aviv, the city and the outside population who wanted to enjoy the quality of housing provided by luxury towers and proximity to the sea."
Two high-rise construction projects of the company that are receiving widespread attention are BY DIMRI SPIRIT and DIMRI VILAGO. The first, is located in the heart of a developing seaside city, in an area that extends over 17 dunams and includes three luxury towers of 17-14 floors and 167 housing units. The first tower in the project is currently being inhabited, and next year the second tower will be inhabited, with the third tower already underway.
"This is an extraordinary project," Cohen declares. "It is characterized by a standard of living at the highest level and in an ideal location. The buildings are designed as non-roofing star structures, in a way that gives maximum privacy to each apartment. There are educational institutions as well as the Ir Yamim mall, the piano entertainment and leisure complex, the Sportek and the Iris Reserve. "
The apartments in the project are 5-4 rooms with an area of 135 sqm, with a 25 sqm balcony and an adjoining warehouse on the floor of 10 sqm, which can also be used as a study - something of great importance in the changing labor market of the Corona period, which creates the possibility Also for remote work. The penthouse apartment area is 200 sqm next to 200-60 sqm balconies. Each tower is equipped with a gym, a tenants lounge and a luxurious lobby.
As for the target audience to which the SPIRIT project addresses, Cohen says that it consists "mainly of housing improvers aged 45 plus from Netanya and the Sharon localities, who want to move from the old apartments, some land houses, to new and spacious apartments. Near the shoreline, and in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Israel. "
2 28-story towers and 213 housing units. Project VILAGOImaging: Cube Studio
To live in the city, to feel in nature
Another luxury project of the company is DIMRI VILAGO, in the western part of the Lakes neighborhood, with two 28-story towers and 213 units in total. The first tower has already been inhabited, and in the second tower the population will be completed within a few months.
"The uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that it kisses the Winter Lake Park (Puddle Park) - a spacious public park with one of the last remaining winter pools on the coastal plain, which allows you to actually live in the city and feel nature," Cohen explains. "Whoever comes here will wash their eyes every morning in the green of the reserve and in the blue of the sea, which the apartments directly overlook."
Similar to the SPIRIT project, the occupants of the VILAGO project will also enjoy large 5-4 apartments with an area of 128 square meters and 12 square meters of balconies, a fully equipped gym and an invested tenants' lounge. "Here we are targeting mainly young families, from the city and beyond," Cohen explains. "It's a project that produces community life."
"We have openly established our projects in Netanya in the newest, most advanced and sought-after neighborhoods in the city," Cohen adds. "High-rise construction allows us to increase the supply of facilities and provide a lifestyle that is not found in low-rise buildings, and for tenants this is of great importance."
Amir Cohen. "High-rise construction makes it possible to provide a lifestyle that is not found in low-rise buildings"Photo: Moshe Amar
Increased density, dwindling soils
"The construction of towers is a must look at the macro level," concludes Prof. Hamaisi. "High-rise construction is in line with the concept of preventing the leakage of construction into open areas and overcrowding in existing areas, a matter that is given particular weight when one considers that Israel is a country with limited land reserves.
"Meeting the target of building 1.5 million housing units by 2040, as defined by the government's strategic plan approved as early as 2017, creates a favorable climate for the growth in the number of towers, and Netanya is leading the trend. "That high-rise construction will have the support of the planning bodies. It is only important that as part of the scenario, the decision-makers will ensure adequate infrastructure that will envelop the new residential complexes."