The city’s northwest will be dedicated to environmentally friendly construction.
By JOHN BENZAQUENKfar Saba(photo credit: RAMI ZARINGER)
Kfar Saba is located in the heart of the Sharon region, an area north of Tel Aviv that was once famous for its citrus groves and is now one of the fastest-growing urban centers in the country. Squeezed into what is a relatively small area are three urban entities: Hod Hasharon and Ramat Hasharon in the east; Kfar Saba and Ra’anana in the center; and Herzliya in the west.Kfar Saba has the distinction of being the first local government to promote green building projects. It has designated the northwestern part of the city, an area of 560,000 sq.m., as a green area and it will host only green building projects there, and developers will have to follow the Environment Ministry’s green-building specifications.According to the regulations, a green building is one that uses “green” building materials – either recycled materials or materials that are less harmful toward the environment. This means minimum use of plastics and maximum use of natural ingredients. A green building is also one designed to consume the least amount of energy possible in both heating and cooling the building. This means the openings, windows and terraces are situated to make the most of natural factors, such as the wind and the sun.It must also use insulating materials to minimize heat escaping in winter and heat entering in summer, and builders need to design an efficient garbage collection system that separates paper, plastic and organic waste. A green building is equipped with filters that clean and purify fumes coming out of the kitchen.In the future, a green building will use solar power not only to heat water but also to produce electricity for domestic use, as well as making maximum use of water resources by having water-recycling facilities. Drainage basins will make use of rainwater for irrigating gardens – a very important factor in a country with few freshwater resources.A green neighborhood is one where the houses and infrastructure are integrated in a garbage removal system, where there is a low noise level and large green areas. These neighborhoods will ensure a high quality of life. When completed, these green areas will have 5,000 residential units.Living green appears to have many advantages to residents. In recent years we have seen a growing number of building projects classified as green. Judging by the number of these projects, one could get the impression that demand for green building projects is on the increase, but this is not the case.Developers say the public reaction is positive despite the fact that green projects can increase costs by up to 7 percent.The public, they say, is now conscious of the need to conserve, and ecology has become an issue in this small country, though this has not yet translated into high demand for green projects.Jacky Mukmel, chairman and general manager of real-estate company MAN Properties, says they will cut costs.
“Green buildings are very beneficial and in the long run they will cut maintenance costs,” he told Metro. “But in some ways this is a new concept for many, a revolutionary concept, and it takes time to catch on. But once it does, most potential buyers of a new home will not consider buying a home that is not green. It is true that building green is more expensive, but that should not deter developers. And in the not-so-distant future most of the buildings in Israel will be green. This is a fact of life. Israel is a small country, a densely populated country, and by building green we protect the environment.”Kfar Saba Mayor Yehuda Ben-Hama is very supportive of ecological developments in his city. “‘The ‘green neighborhood’ is part of the strategy of creating a green, ecological city,” he says. “It is our policy to make Kfar Saba Israel’s greenest city, the most ecologically friendly urban entity in this country. I believe that the new green neighborhood, which was the first of its kind in Israel, will be a model for the whole country.”The municipality for its part is investing the necessary sums in the special infrastructure as part of its green agenda.When completed, it will bring in 18,000 new residents.Besides being a green city, Kfar Saba is also a very centrally located, and this is a big advantage to developers.The Oshira development company is building a large complex that includes three office towers, a power center (outdoor shopping mall), a food market and an entertainment complex, which includes 19 theaters, all next to the Geulim residential neighborhood.“We believe that in these modern times residential areas should be near employment centers. Employment centers are usually clean and silent. They do not constitute a hindrance to residential areas,” Eyal Weissman, the company’s VP marketing, says. “We are very centrally located, and as a result, we supply commercial services and entertainment to the 400,000 residents of the Sharon.”The residential real-estate scene in Kfar Saba is robust. Udi Balul from the Anglo-Saxon real-estate company in Kfar Saba says demand is relatively strong.“Prices are holding steady despite the fact that there is an upward trend and prices are slowly creeping up,” he says.“Like in other places in Israel, in the past months demand has risen strongly, but prices are not rising primarily because they have reached a very high level.”Balul says generally speaking an average 80-sq.m. three-room apartment costs NIS 1.1 million in a middle-class area and NIS 900,000 in one of the more working class areas, a four-room 110 sq.m. apartment can cost NIS 1.45 million, while a five-room apartment can cost as much as NIS 1.85 million.