In about a month, on June 30, the last airplane will take off from Sde Dov airport in north Tel Aviv, serving mostly flights to and from Eilat in the south of Israel. Nearly 81 years after it was established by the British, in September 1938, Sde Dov will take another significant step toward turning into one of the most exclusive residential and leisure complexes in Israel, on the Tel Aviv beach. The planned development, which was approved in February by the committee for preserving the coastal environment, and was submitted to public disagreement in April, sprawls over 2,500 dunam (618 acres), and would include 16,000 housing units, 6,900 of which would be affordable housing, and 514,000 square meters (127 acres) of public buildings, 126,000 square meters (31 acres) of commercial buildings, 323,000 square meters (80 acres) of industry, 200,000 square meters (49 acres) of hotels and 385 dunam (95 acres) of parks and public gardens.
Sde Dov is the last open space left in Tel Aviv. As long as it has been used as an airport, the city could not expand northward. For a city struggling with a serious housing shortage and high real estate prices, it would seem that the plan should have been applauded, but in reality there are some who see it as a terrible idea and a threat, including the mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, who believes that closing the airport is a “miserable decision.” He has been trying to promote an alternative plan that includes leaving the airport in operation and reducing construction at the site.
