The opposition committee of the Regional Board of Planning and Construction for the Jerusalem region has given it's stamp of approval to the establishment of the next level of RBS, that is known as RBS Gimmel/2 (RBS C2).
RBS C2 is planned to be a neighborhood of 1800 housing units, along with commerce and public buildings (shuls, schools, community center, etc.). RBS Gimmel/2 has met with opposition. About 7000 people from Bet Shemesh and Mateh Yehuda signed petitions against the construction of the neighborhood.
The main complaint was not that the neighborhood should not be built, though some people supported that position, but that it should wait until there would be proper planning of appropriate infrastructure. The oppositions committee had to hold two sessions to hear many of the complaints before coming to their decision.
While the final decision was to approve the plans, the committee did also accept some of the points of opposition and insist they be included in the plans. These points include holding a reserve of planning designated for sports and culture, upgrading the infrastructure for transportation and gauranteeing the development of the open areas (parks and archaeological parks, etc). (source: Ladaat)
The opposition put up a good fight, but construction has been approved. it is time to move. on. Get people to buy. If thousands of non-haredi people really want to buy in bet Shemesh and Ramat Bet Shemesh, get groups of them together and encourage them to start buying. It worked the other way, with RBS being designed for DL and Chiloni, but the DL and Haredi bought it out and adjusted, and the neighborhood adjusted as well despite the differences in planning to what turned out being needed.
If so many people would buy large sections of the new neighborhoods as they say they want to, adjustments would be made. Everything would work out. It is time to step up to the plate.
How far along are the plans? Are there already off-plan apartments for sale, or is it all still going out to tender from contractors?
ReplyDeletethis is still in the planning stage. they only just started selling apartments in Gimmel/1.
ReplyDeletethis ishur is procedural and allows them to move along and continue planning. They still have to get more ishurim (everything takes time), cut down the mountain, lay infrastructure, etc. rbs gimmel/2 is a few years away
Well said Rafi. Unfortunately I feel that some of the opposition leaders are more interested in having political fights than marketing RBS C2 to other populations.
ReplyDeleteLipman and Lerner are just typical self serving politicos. They prefer to cause panic. Their tent people signs to the effect "if you are not Charedi you have no where to buy in the city" was childish. And bordering on demogagic (sp?). I for one will not vote for either of them.
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