The Local Planning and Building Committee of the Jerusalem Municipality approved the Municipality Planning Department’s new planning policy, which will grant a significant amount of additional building rights for the construction of residential, business and hotel units along the existing and future light rail routes. This will increase the number of residential units being constructed in the city, streamline the use of the light rail, and make it a major part of the city’s development.

This major plan utilizes the many advantages of Jerusalem’s advanced public transportation network, and is intended to encourage development and add thousands of new residential units in the city.

The new concessions presented to the Local Planning and Building Committee by the Municipality’s Urban Planning Department include the following: for plots of up to one dunam, the Floor Area Ratio in the plans will be increased from 240% to 360%, and the maximum height from six to nine floors; for plots of up to 1.5 dunams, the Floor Area Ratio will be increased from 320% to 440%, with a maximum height of twelve floors; for plots of more than 1.5 dunams, the Floor Area Ratio will be increased to 720% building, with a maximum of 18 floors, instead of the 8-12 that are currently allowed; and for plots on a high ridge line, the Floor Area Ratio may even reach 1200%, with a maximum height of 30 floors.

The planning and construction of the light rail routes throughout the city are an integral part of the urban renewal, demolition, and reconstruction processes, National Master Plan 38, the neighborhood master plans and outline plans, and the utilization of internal areas of land and an improvement of open and public areas in the city. The plans for high-rise construction will take into account various criteria required for planning, strict compliance with conservation areas in the historic city and the Old City, traffic and parking solutions, the integration of open spaces required for projects, the development of public areas, with public consultation of residents and the community.

The Local Committee emphasized that the new planning policy will take into account, inter alia, the social and cultural characteristics of communities in the city’s neighborhoods, including an increase of the Floor Area Ratio on the plots, which will allow efficient and optimal construction areas for low-rise construction, in accordance with the needs of residents.

The new plan was developed in collaboration with the District Planning Office, as a part of the Municipality’s policy of encouraging urban renewal, while preserving the green areas and open spaces citywide. In the near future, the plan will be presented to the District Planning and Building Committee.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, said: “Over the next few years, Jerusalem will become the most accessible city in the country, operating an efficient and advanced public transport system that includes several light rail lines. Increasing the construction rights along the light rail routes allows us to add thousands of new residential units to the city, as well as commercial and hotel areas, strengthening and increasing accessibility for the city’s residents.”

Meir Turgeman, Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the Local Planning & Building Committee, said: “This is a large and significant step in the development of the city of Jerusalem, with an unusual and innovative combination of the development of public infrastructure and the city’s economy, a combination that will lead to the next generation of development plans for the city.”

Information regarding the current and future light rail routes in Jerusalem:

The Red Line:

Israel’s first light rail line. The line has been operational for approximately five years, and is currently approximately 14km long and goes from Har Herzl to Pisgat Ze’ev, through central Jerusalem. The Red Line is used by approximately 140,000 passengers a day. The Red Line is being extended to the Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem in the southwest, and to N’vei Yaakov in the north, extending the line by an additional 8km.

The line will serve tens of thousands of additional residents of the neighborhoods along the extended route, and improve the service for patients, visitors, employees and students travelling to the Medical Center and Medical School in Ein Kerem. In total, the line is expected to be used by approximately 200 thousand passengers a day.

The Green Line:

The route of the Green Line approved by the District Planning & Building Committee will be 19km long and have 36 stations, from Malcha to Mt. Scopus. The line will be used by 200,000 passengers a day. An additional Green Line will run from Har Nof to N’vei Yaakov.

The Blue Line:

The Blue Line is currently undergoing statutory approval. It is 23km long and it will have 42 stations, from Ramot in the north to Gilo in the south via the city center, with a branch line to Malcha, also via the city center. The line is expected to serve the residents of the neighborhoods along the route, with an expected quarter of a million passengers a day.

Photo: Light rail routes.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo: Jerusalem Municipality)