4,300 apartments: Lod, Nofei Ben Shemen,

 

By Micky Gilbert

An Example of a Prashkovsky Project in the New Neighborhood

(photo credit: Zmora)

The City of Lod and the Lod Economic Development Company held a festive inauguration ceremony on Nov 20 for the city’s new massive neighborhood, Nofei Ben Shemen. The event was attended by Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, Ministry Director-General Yehuda Morgenstein, Lod Mayor Yair Revivo, Lod Economic Development Company CEO Shiran Bukra Jerbi, city council members, board members of the development company, CEOs, and real estate developers.

The new neighborhood represents a significant step in Lod’s development and growth. It is designed as a modern, innovative residential area with a mixed-use approach. The neighborhood will feature a variety of housing types, extensive public buildings, green spaces, and high-level services for commerce and employment. Spanning approximately 85 hectares, it includes 4,300 housing units, 400 of which are designated for an affordable housing rental project. Some projects in the neighborhood are already occupied, with educational and resident services operational.

At the inauguration, Minister Goldknopf emphasized Lod’s potential, stating: "As the minister of Construction and Housing, I see tremendous potential in Lod, a city rejuvenating itself in recent years. With its central location, quick access to air and sea ports, industrial and commercial centers, and abundant land reserves, Lod is on the brink of major expansion. 

“Under the ministry’s leadership, Lod is expected to add nearly 20,000 housing units in the coming years, almost doubling its population and becoming one of Israel's largest and most desirable cities."

Mayor Yair Revivo: "With great joy and fortune, we officially inaugurate the Nofei Ben Shemen neighborhood today, welcoming the hundreds of families who have already moved in over the past months. Nofei Ben Shemen is a flagship neighborhood combining green living with a community-oriented residential experience in the heart of Israel's most sought-after areas.

Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf and Lod Mayor Yair Revivo (credit: Calcalit Lod)

 

"The neighborhood is emerging as one of the most promising in Lod and has already been named one of the five most prestigious neighborhoods in Israel by the media,” he said. “This recognition is due to meticulous architectural planning, extensive infrastructure development, and attention to all aspects of quality living and environmental standards. The neighborhood will set a new benchmark for success, offering high standards of living. To those seeking an enhanced lifestyle, I say: now is the time to purchase apartments in these new projects, as availability is quickly running out."

Lod’s CEO of Economic Development Shiran Bokra Jerbi said: "As the city's executive branch and the driving force behind the Umbrella Agreement, Economic Lod under my leadership is preparing for the next steps: advancing the international district and the 'Lodcation' commercial and employment zone, attracting additional strategic employers to the city, ensuring successful marketing efforts, accelerating urban renewal in older neighborhoods, and moving to the next stage of Lod's development. I invite the top executives from development companies present here today to join us in the city's future projects."

During his speech, Goldknopf shared that a few weeks ago, he visited the central Israeli city to console a senior staff member mourning her brother, Mordechai Chaim Amouyal, a hero of Israel from Lod, who fell in battle in Lebanon. The minister noted, "Mordechai was a righteous Jew, always the first to open the synagogue daily, where he taught the Daf Yomi [daily Talmud] lesson." 

Goldknopf asked the mayor to commemorate Mordechai's name, alongside the fallen soldiers of Operation Iron Swords, in the permanent structure of the new neighborhood’s synagogue. The mayor agreed.

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The event was attended by senior officials from the Municipality of Lod and Economic Lod, as well as representatives from the Construction and Housing Ministry and construction and development companies building the neighborhood, including Shikun & Binui, Azorim, Prashkovsky, Aura, Etz Hashaked, Nitzanei Mevaseret, Baal Hatanya, and Aharoni.

One of the neighborhood’s flagship projects is Aura’s development, featuring 602 housing units across 11 buildings, ranging from 7 to 23 stories. Phase A, consisting of eight buildings, is expected to be completed this year. Phase B includes three boutique buildings, each with nine stories. By the second quarter of 2024, Aura had already occupied Phase A with 168 apartments.

Located in the Nofei Ben Shemen neighborhood in eastern Lod, the project sets a new standard for innovation, green living, and mixed-use development, and is part of Lod's broader expansion and development initiatives. The neighborhood will also feature new educational institutions, commercial centers, and extensive public spaces with landscaping and environmental development—all aimed at fostering high-quality living in the city.

What Makes the Project Unique?

The advanced urban planning includes a modern education campus, daycare centers, kindergartens, elementary and high schools, a youth center, a community center, a sports hall, a synagogue, a mikveh, seating areas, playgrounds, sports facilities, landscaped gardens—including a dog park—shops for leisure and entertainment, and an 18-hectare (44-acre) Nahal Park with an ecological lake and amphitheater.

Residents will benefit from convenient access to major highways—Route 40 to the west, Route 1 to the east, and Route 443 to the north—as well as direct connections to the Ben Shemen Interchange, Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv's metropolitan area, and Route 6.

Aura Ben Shemen is the result of a successful collaboration between two leading architectural firms in Israel: Eyal Architects, led by architect Dani Eyal, and Giora Gur Architects.