Petah Tikva: 227 new apartments instead of 56 old ones
Three residential buildings containing 56 old apartments were demolished as part of an urban renewal project, and in their place, two 24-story residential towers containing 227 new apartments will be built. An apartment owner in the demolished building: "A sense of relief, pride, and hope."
Urban renewal in Petah Tikva: The Almog Group demolished three residential buildings in the MALA urban renewal project complex in Petah Tikva, officially launching the company's first 'pinui-binui' (evacuation and construction) project in the city. The project is located in the complex of Yosefsberg, Katz, and Ben Zvi streets in the Kfar Ganim B neighborhood (Achdut neighborhood).
As part of the project, three residential buildings containing 56 old apartments were demolished this week, and in their place, two 24-story residential towers will be built, containing 227 new apartments. The MALA project was designed by the Ran Blender Architecture and Urban Planning firm and will include extensive environmental development, including an ecological pool, green areas, the allocation of land for the construction of public buildings for the Petah Tikva Municipality, and open public spaces.
Aliza Kavilio, a resident of the project, said after the demolition:
"After 16 years of waiting, delays, objections, and countless disappointments, it is hard to describe the excitement of seeing this moment arrive. There were times when we had already lost hope that the project would get underway. I was born in this neighborhood, and after years, I returned to live in it. The tenants lived for years in old buildings without proper protection. During the last war, fear became part of the daily routine when, with every siren, families, children, and adults were forced to run to protected spaces outside the building, knowing they had no MAMAD (protected room) to protect them. Today, alongside the sadness of parting with the house where I grew up and the memories accumulated in it, there is mainly a sense of relief, pride, and hope. We know that in place of the old buildings, a new, safe, and modern neighborhood will rise, which will allow us and our children to live with dignity and security."
Yaki Amsalem, CEO of the Almog Group, noted at the demolition event:
"The demolition event marks the transition from the planning and approval stage to the execution stage, the moment when the vision becomes reality. For the apartment owners, this is a significant milestone after years of promoting the project, and the same goes for the team accompanying the project, tenants' attorney Michal Liban and the Gindi Caspi law firm. For the Almog Group, this is another milestone in expanding the Almog Group's urban renewal activity to the city of Petah Tikva as well."
