Massive building plan arouses residents' ire

Hod Hasharon opponents say such massive building is incompatible with the city's pastoral nature.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
Hod Hasharon residents are furious that the city has announced yet another major building project without consulting them, reports Yediot Hasharon. The new project, in the south-east of the city, calls for the building of a commercial area adjacent to a residential complex containing a total of 730 residential units in 13 buildings, with five of the buildings to be six to nine storeys high and two towers of 25 storeys each. According to the report, opponents say such massive building - and especially two 25-storey towers - is incompatible with the city's pastoral nature, and the entire plan would create horrendous traffic problems. A municipal spokesman said the city had changed the plans "with the cooperation of the public" and that the project was designed to meet residents' future needs. If approved by the Planning and Construction Committee, the city expects to begin work on the project in 2009-10.