The city is constantly growing, on the way to 100,000 residents • A roof agreement of NIS 4.7 billion promotes infrastructure development, from education to transportation • The residents indicate a good place to live, the numbers indicate a promising investment
Netivot.
The city is in constant growth
Photography:
Diego Mittelberg
Produced by the Department of Special Supplements
Netivot is the surprise of the year in the real estate world: it is the city that recorded the highest number of housing units marketed and also one of the highest demand percentages in Israel.
Netivot has been crowned third on the list of growing cities in the last 5 years.
Data released by the real estate company Madeleine, which reflects the rate of population growth relative to the number of transactions in new apartments, shows that the city of Netivot is in third place among the 10 most sought-after cities across the country in the last 5 years, with an increase of more than 10,000 residents.
While construction starts are falling at the national level, in the period between April 2019 and March 2020, 1,310 construction starts were recorded in Netivot, and it is located above cities such as Rishon Lezion, Rehovot, Holon and Bat Yam.
Netivot was also located as a demand area according to maps of the Israel Land Authority, which expanded the borders of demand in Israel from Gedera-Hadera to Kiryat Netivot.
The railway line made it accessible to the circles of demand.
Add to that Route 6 and you get a modern city, which is in a momentum of renewal and a major attraction in Israel for young couples and families.
Already now, Netivot has a diverse community life, far from the image to which we have been accustomed for many years as a peripheral and distant city, which was perhaps most identified with the Baba.
Quietly, Netivot caught up with the construction boom in the neighboring cities, and according to the population registry, it became the second largest city in the Negev in the Jewish sector with about 40,000 residents.
Investing billions
The explanation for the great momentum is the umbrella agreement signed at the end of 2017 with the Israeli government and outlined the city's population and development trends in the next decade in government indemnification.
The agreement between the State of Israel and the local authority allows for the establishment of new neighborhoods with thousands of housing units.
Netivot is in a development boom.
The city has signed an umbrella agreement to build about 13,000 housing units, which will increase the population to about 100,000 residents.
Even if the rate of implementation of the roof agreement does not meet expectations, the increase will happen by the middle of the next decade.
Reaching this destination will summarize the residential development reserves, in accordance with the municipal boundary and the reserves allocated in the district outline plan.
As part of the roof agreement, led by Mayor Yehiel Zohar, thousands of housing units are being built in Netivot in saturated and ground-level construction, along with educational institutions, public buildings, commercial and employment centers and even a train station.
The construction of the housing units and their marketing are carried out in an accelerated procedure, but in a controlled manner and in full coordination between the municipality and the government ministries, including the Israel Land Authority.
Under the agreement, hundreds of classrooms will be built according to the program and standards of the Ministry of Education.
The agreement includes a significant amount of financial investment for the renewal and improvement of suburban and transportation infrastructure, which will address the new neighborhoods.
The roof agreement in Netivot brought good news in the form of a huge government investment of NIS 4.7 billion.
These huge budgets help to make the vision of urban development a reality.
Budgets are invested in adjacent infrastructure in the highest level of development, which would not embarrass any prestigious city in the center of the country, over-infrastructure such as bridges, connecting the old city to new neighborhoods, roads to link new neighborhoods to major arteries, public institutions and education at the highest level, including home An innovative green book and a prestigious science center, and upgrading old neighborhoods throughout the city while replacing the urban infrastructure with a modern and well-kept infrastructure.
District City
Netivot, for those who do not yet know, is located between Ofakim and Sderot, about 28 km from Be'er Sheva and about 40 km from Ashdod.
The surrounding rural area includes the Sdot Negev, Merhavim and Bnei Shimon regional councils (approximately 35,000 residents).
About 40,000 residents live in Netivot.
In Ofakim and Sderot together there are about 50,000 residents.
Netivot's growth momentum strengthens its status as a central district city in the western Negev.
Ofakim is intended for about 80,000 residents, Sderot for about 50,000 and the surrounding regional councils will reach about 50,000 to 60,000 residents.
Along with the expansion of Netivot, the population of the bloc will increase beyond 250,000 residents.
"Netivot belongs to the Be'er Sheva sub-district, however, the enlargement of the city is not intended to take the place of Be'er Sheva," explains Dr. Rina Degani, city planner and director of the Geocartography Institute.
"Netivot Growth is intended to provide a significant urban response to the western region of the Negev and the sub-district for the purposes of education, culture, leisure, trade and employment.
Netivot can only give these as a city of significant size. "
The rate of construction of apartments in Netivot has been rising since 2015, even before the roof agreement was signed.
On average, about 460 housing units have been built per year in recent years (high in Ofakim and Sderot).
In recent years, construction has begun on 2,000 housing units, indicating the potential of the roof agreement.
The construction rate of the large apartments (5 rooms or more) is rising significantly, and in recent years they constitute about 55% of all apartments built in the city.
Concern for employment
Even before the signing of the roof agreement, 2,500 housing units were marketed in Netivot in the Neve Sharon and Netivot West neighborhoods, one of the highest in the country.
Since the signing of the roof agreement, 4,972 housing units have been marketed, about half of which have been directed to the price per occupant project and the rest to the private market.
The administration expects that even in the upcoming marketing, which includes another 2,000 housing units, the demand will be high and the marketing process will end soon.
Simultaneously with the growth of the city, the mayor is working to create new employment channels, through the development of industrial areas of 4,160 dunams.
These days, about 900 dunams have been transferred to the city, which will be used for employment.
"The Netivot municipality has developed the infrastructure on the land ahead of time, so developers can start construction in record time and shorten the length of time young couples wait for an apartment and pay high rental expenses," says Mayor Yehiel Zohar.
"We fought for two years in the Boundaries Committee for the expansion of employment areas, which are so essential for the city's development and economic strength. Our demand was accepted and these days 900 dunams have been added to the city, which will be used for industrial development and quality employment."
Green lung
Nahal Boho Park is a huge project in scope and investments made in it, with a total cost of about NIS 250 million.
A scenic promenade is being built along the banks of the creek.
The construction of the spectacular Lake Park has been completed these days.
A connection to the Shikma-Bari-Gerer bicycle path system is also planned, to create an attractive riding sequence.
Three scenic bridges, costing NIS 120 million, connect the neighborhoods on both sides of the stream.
Recently, two bridges were inaugurated over Wadi Boho - the Weizmann Bridge and the Jerusalem Bridge, which connect the Old City to the new neighborhoods.
The bridges were designed by Asif Berman and Noa Brut Landscape Architects.
A third bridge, which connects the Maalot Hanahal neighborhood to the Old City, was designed by architect Naama Melis and landscape architect Vardit Tzornmel.
Convenient transportation
In order to facilitate access from the new neighborhoods to the main transportation arteries, the city, together with Nati and the Ministry of Transportation, is promoting the planning and construction of a road connecting Road 25 to the new transportation terminal in the Maalot Nahal neighborhood. The project is worth NIS 50 million.
As part of this, the road will be widened with an investment of NIS 200 million and a series of additional entrances to the city will be made from the direction of Road 25. Another road, which will be built in 2021 with an investment of NIS 30 million, will provide access to a cargo terminal on the south side of Netivot. .
Tax Benefits
Unlike other cities in the southern periphery, the tax benefit for Netivot residents rose from 13% to 16% per year, up to a ceiling of NIS 204,000.
This means that the maximum utilization of the tax benefit will reach NIS 32,640.
Assuming both spouses work, the benefit may reach NIS 65,280 per year, and can be a budgetary source for paying the mortgage.
Zohar adds that the roof agreement is another step in the development of the city, which has come a long way over the years.
"Netivot has always taken responsibility for its future in developing community and social life, promoting commercial and industrial life, fostering cultural, leisure and sports services and above all investing in the education system and empowering young people to fulfillment and success. We look to the future Projecting on all residents of the area. "
Meet the challenges
Along with its impressive successes, the city faces many challenges.
Rapid development necessitates the establishment of many educational and public institutions at a pace that government ministries are finding it difficult to keep up.
The city is heterogeneous in terms of population and the level of income of the residents, which poses a real challenge to the municipality.
The high success rates in adulthood are indicative of successes in this field.
Another challenge is a stubborn war to increase employment space so that they will be in a position to increase living space.
The mayor's stubborn war to increase employment space in the Boundaries Commission and in court has yielded a significant addition in this area.
Another challenge is the need to develop roads and infrastructure, in order to enable high transportation accessibility and connection to major transportation arteries, along with the growth of the neighborhoods.
Netivot is ahead of the Ministry of Transportation and Netivei Israel in planning and is pressing for the receipt of the budgets required for the rapid implementation of all transportation plans.
The future
Netivot has all the data to become a major city in the area, especially thanks to the rapid growth rate.
Netivot is a city in demand both by its residents and by the residents of the south of the country.
The city is characterized by social resilience, thanks to the strong and cohesive community.
Social resilience is reflected in the composition of the population, which is one of the significant things that connects the residents to their city.
People of all ages from all walks of life mark the local population as one of their favorite things in their city.
In Netivot, 47% are non-religious, 23% religious, and 30% ultra-Orthodox.
According to Rina Degani, the residents testify to a sense of cohesion, belonging to the community and human quality.
Among all the residents, including the new ones, there is an extensive network of contacts.
The city has built for itself the status of a major city in the area in terms of trade.
The commercial areas in Netivot are about 100,000 square meters, ie about 3 square meters per resident, 3 times the national average.
The purchasing power of Netivot residents is about NIS 40 million a month, and in the entire area about NIS 220 million a month (geocartography estimates).
The city has developed significant trade far beyond the urban purchasing power, as it is fed by regional demand.
About 15% of the residents of Ofakim, Sderot and the surrounding regional councils visit the shopping centers in Netivot frequently (up to once a week), and about 27% visit it at least once a month.
Dr. Degani's examination shows that Netivot's importance as a center of commerce will be maintained in the coming years.
Ofakim's proximity to Be'er Sheva reduces the need for massive commercial development in this city, so the premiere in the area is expected to remain in Netivot.
The managerial resilience of Netivot allows progress as a large city and to absorb a large-scale population.
This is due to being a stable city, which has already proven that it is able to absorb many residents and provide services to its surroundings.
Netivot is preparing for the coming years with a mechanism that can optimally handle the absorption of tens of thousands of new residents.
Produced by the Department of Special Supplements