Tel Aviv Advances Massive Expansion Plan for Iconic Dizengoff Center
Tel Aviv committee recommends advancing a major expansion plan for Dizengoff Center, adding commercial floors, 85 micro-apartments, public spaces, and urban agriculture.
The Tel Aviv Local Planning and Building Committee has recommended depositing the TA/5055 plan with the District Committee, introducing significant construction additions to the commercial section of Dizengoff Center. Spanning approximately 24.2 dunams at the intersection of Dizengoff, King George, and Tchernichovsky streets, the plan will add 3 floors and a partial floor to the existing commercial structure, bringing its height up to 7 floors above street level.
The two existing towers on the site—a 26-story residential tower with about 220 apartments and a 14-story office tower—will remain unchanged. The recommended plan differs in several details from the outline previously presented. The planned floor addition increased from 2.5 floors to 3 floors and a partial floor, while the proposed public garden area is slightly smaller due to definition phrasing.
Urban Agriculture and Public Spaces
The entire roof of the Dizengoff Center spans approximately 8 dunams. Of this area, 3 dunams will be allocated for urban agriculture, and 5 dunams are designated as a public park. The plan mandates access to at least 3.5 dunams of the park, though final accessible areas will be determined upon completion. Alongside the commercial expansion, the project will include a 40 to 50-room hostel and permanent long-term rental housing.
A total of 85 micro-apartments ranging from 27 to 35 square meters will be constructed above the commercial section. Around 15% of these units will serve as affordable housing, rented at a regulated price reflecting a 40% discount from market value for 25 years. The complex currently spans 134,289 square meters, with the new plan adding 32,860 square meters.
Public Infrastructure and Preservation
Additionally, about 2,000 square meters will be allocated for public use, alongside roughly 750 square meters of adjacent open spaces designated for daycares and kindergartens. The plan also features an underground logistics center, the renovation of the Lev Cinema, and the complex's sports center.
"The proposed volume does not harm the integrity or values of the White City," according to an environmental impact assessment conducted for the site, which sits within the buffer zone of the UNESCO White City designation.
In line with Tel Aviv Municipality's parking policies, the expansion includes no additional parking spaces. The plan was designed by architect Gidi Bar Orian and promoted by Dizengoff Center, owned by the Pilts family, the heirs of Samuel Flatto-Sharon, the Tel Aviv Municipality, and private owners.
