Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said Tuesday that the Jewish National Fund approved a NIS 70 million investment to build a new 200 acre park in the Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood. He said that the park plan, which is promoted by the Jerusalem Development Authority, includes an artificial lake, game facilities, bicycle trails and many green spaces.
Lion referred to the new park as “Kiryat Hayovel’s Sacher Park,” referring to the city’s largest public park. However, that may be an understatement, as the planned park would stretch five times the 40-acre area of Sacher Park.
The park will be located in the valley known as “Asbestonim Wadi,” an under-developed area between the Kiryat Hayovel and Kiryat Menachem neighborhoods. The area is named after the large asbestos buildings that were built quickly to house new immigrants there in the 1950’s and 1960’s.