In the densely populated city of Israel, where 180,000 residents live on an area of only 7,000 dunams, where the population growth rate is the highest in Israel, and where it is not possible to build more than seven residential floors due to the ban on using elevators on Shabbat, the housing shortage is felt even more acutely.
""Families are growing larger than the number of housing units, I admit," says Bnei Brak Mayor Rabbi Hanoch Seibert. "It's not just that they accept every price they ask for an apartment in Bnei Brak.".
- You can't build high, how will the city meet the need for apartments?
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""We are currently working on a master plan that includes thousands of additional apartments, some in the north of the city, after the Ayalon Mall, near the train station, where a neighborhood of 2,500 apartments is planned, and some in various complexes in the old center, such as the flour station that we are vacating from Sokolov Street, the Dubek factory, the Osem complex, and other complexes on Hashomer Street and Rabbi Akiva Street.
In addition, there are quite a few projects planned in Pardes Katz. The municipality will vacate the market complex that it owns and build 500 apartments in its place. In 10 years, Pardes Katz will not be recognizable. The master plan takes into account that Bnei Brak will have 220,000 people, and adds 10,000 apartments.".
- How does the city sustain itself financially?
""The city has always relied on a recovery plan, and today, with God's help, the plan is balanced. 20 years ago, Mayor Rabbi Moshe Eirnstein, who recently passed away, began planning the Bnei Brak Business Center (BBC), which was built only in recent years and part of which is still being planned. The settlement's development department is planning to build the tallest tower in the area there, with a medical orientation due to its proximity to the Mor Institute, which will be demolished and rebuilt on a larger lot (after merging with the lot behind).
"There are currently six towers in the business center, two under construction, and another 10 in the pipeline. Thanks to the BBC, the city's property taxes generate NIS 305 million a year for the municipality, which is a third of our budget. We have to remember that the city is old, 90 years old, and NIS 60 million goes every year to the budget pensions of veteran employees who have retired.".
- The high density and high growth rate also brings quite a few construction irregularities in the city.
""We issue demolition orders for everyone, there is no selective enforcement, but we exercise discretion, because it is not wise to fight a family with 10 children who expanded their apartment by 10 square meters. Besides, we encourage demolition and construction projects within the framework of TAMA 38, and to solve the issue of public buildings, we insist on building parking lots and kindergartens on the ground floor.".
- The appeals committee didn't like the fact that you are requiring developers to build public buildings within the framework of TAMA 38, and that's putting it mildly.
""She'll like it in the end. We'll pass it on in the city's outline plan, and we're sticking to it. Developers receive very good service in Bnei Brak. The Interior Ministry says we have too few employees in the engineering department, and we say that's the advantage. Because it doesn't take another month for another employee to review a plan.".
"In general, we strongly support the reform of the Planning and Building Law that grants powers to local committees. Why does an official who sits on the district committee know better than us what is good for us?""
