Zichron Yaacov Dreams (Halomot Zichron Yaacov)

Good education, beautiful setting, rich history, the atmosphere of good-old-eretz-Israel and the proximity to employment, commercial and leisure centers Israel has to offer: those are the reasons that attract to Zichron Yaacov those Israeli home buyers as well as Olim and returning residents from overseas.

In this series we review the large real estate developments that are being built, and here, if you are a young couple, even if this is your first house purchase, and even if your name doesn't carry an academic degree yet, you can get the chance of owning your own house at Zichron Yaacov - within reach. Here, at project "Zichron Yaacov Dreams" by the "Employees Housing", which we are reviewing here, you can find an apartment at a starting price of 900,000... New Israeli Shekels!

On this foundation the "SHIKON OVDIN", Israel's largest residential development company is building the "Zichron Yaacov Dreams" project. 730 residential units, most of them apartments in housing buildings, settled on a 160 dunam at the east of Zichron Yaacov. For Zichron Yaacov itself, this is a true revolution. Not only that project "dreams of Zichron" is the biggest that ever built in Zichron Yaacov, it also offers a unique kind of residence. The purchasers usually arrive to Zichron Yaacov because of the big private houses there (villas and cottages), whereas project "dreams of Zichron" is an apartments project. This may be the result of time- when the price for a private house is more expensive then the average price for an apartment in Israel, we move into joint residences. There is growing community that won't give up living in this successful region, even if they need to give up the dream of a private house for an apartment at project "Dreams of Zichron". In any case, an architectural effort has been taken in order to fit in Zichron's landscape. The buildings at project "dreams of Zichron" are partly graded and there is a use of roofing tiles around. The simulations and models indicate that a lot of trees are going to be plant around the buildings and to enhance to atmosphere of life in the village- the residence of the project's apartments will have designed parks and the region's mountains as a view.

Like most of the "Employees Housing" projects, "Dreams of Zichron" is not just hundreds of apartments- it is also a residential site, or as used to known as a neighborhood- with emphasis on green public fields. 25 dunams out of the project are for parks and playgrounds. Special park for toddlers is about to be done, and should be ready by next month. Next to the toddlers park there will be park with a small auditorium. An active- sportive park is also planned. The company is promising to build playgrounds, entertainment zone for small children, tennis, basketball and football courts, green designed flowerbeds fields, lawns and more. According to the plan, part of this field will be joined directly to a new park, which according the "SHIKON OVDIM" company, will be built by the national Jewish Fund (KKL) for all of Zichron Yaacov's residents and its visitors. This pubic area will include a small forest, picnic zones, walking paths and bicycle paths.

In addition, the "SHIKON OVDIM" company is planning on building 3 kindergartens and a day care center for preschoolers living in the project. Close to those kindergartens the "SHIKON OVDIM" company will build a small synagogue, though for now the people of "SHIKON OVDIM" company that we interviewed can not say how big the synagogue will be.

Because the shopping centers of Zichron Yaacov are not within a walking distance from the project, the "SHIKON OVDIM" company is building a small shopping center inside the project itself. The company is not yet set to obligate on the shopping center's size, the number of shops, and whether the shops will stay in the ownership of the company and run by their worker or whether the shops will sale to private hands.

In order to decrease noise coming from Rabin road that is surrounding Zichron Yaacov and crossing between the project and between "MOL HA'YEKEV" neighborhood, the "SHIKON OVDIM" company is promising to build an acoustic wall, 2 meters high, along the path and across the project itself (between the high school and the sales office). 

What is offered for sale?

The project includes apartments in residential building, apartments in small joined houses for 3 families ("triples") and small amount of cottages (which are not for sale at this point). Dorit Sadan, vice president of "SHIKON OVDIM" company informed us lately that so far 150 apartments out of the project had been sold, valued at 132 million shekels. The first purchasers (around 80 families) will move to the project around February, 2007. The "SHIKON OVDIM" company and "AMIRAY- GAN" company began to market another three buildings, each building contains 20 apartments. The buildings are indeed partly graded in a village kind of style with roofing tiles. Each building has 5-6 floors, and it offers 4 and 5 bedrooms apartments, garden apartments and wide 5 rooms' duplexes. Each apartment includes an architectural design, equipments and rich technical specifications higher then the standards we got used to see in the past. All the apartments have wide outside baloneys. The tenants of the buildings will enjoy the landscape of the region's mountains, viewed from a 2007 building standards. The marketing for the new triple- family models has begun, when each structure contains three tenants and each apartment has its own private entrance: 2 garden apartments with exit to a back yard and one rooftop apartment above them, with big wide roof balcony.

The technical specifications of project "Dreams of Zichron" include a designed lobby and a luxury elevator in each building. Each apartment contains a designed entrance door, a TV intercom, isolated glass, electric blinds in the living room, glazed porcelain flooring in the color of your choice, upper and lower kitchen cabinets, an acrylic kitchen sink in flat assembling inside the marble surface in the color of your choice, preparation for a dish washer, electricity connections, a parquet- like flooring in the parents bedroom and a preparation for a mini central air conditioner. For each apartment there is a parking space- most of the parking spaces are roofed. For the duplex apartments the company added a preparation for home entertainment center, barbeque area on the upper outside balcony and extra 20 electricity points for no additional charge. 

Prices

The price for a 4 bedrooms apartment, measured between 120 to 136 square meters, with an outside balcony measured 14 to 34 square meters, starts at a price of 880,000 new Israeli shekels. The price for 4 bedrooms garden apartment measured 146 square meters with a garden starts at a price of 1,060,000 new Israeli shekels. The price of a 5 bedroom duplex measured 165 square meters with an outside balcony measured 85 square meters starts at a price of 1,225,000 new Israeli shekels. The opening price for the triple apartments starts at a price of 1,200,000 new Israeli shekels. 

The price for an apartment at a 20 apartments building

*There may be a gap between the floors: several thousands of shekels per floor (*) the company chooses not to expose the details of those apartments. The prices writing are an estimate only! 
 

The price for an apartment at a tripled apartment building 

(*) the company chooses not to expose the details of those apartments. The prices writing are an estimate only! 
 

What stands behind the "SHIKON OVDIM" company and "AMIRAY GAN" company                                                                                                                

Project "dreams of Zichron" is a shared project between the "SHIKON OVDIM" company and the "AMIRAY GAN" company, both highly experienced with residential projects. The "SHIKON OVDIM" company is over 70 years old and is the initiate arm of the housing and building maintenance group, yes, the same one owned by the business women Sherry Erison whom her father, Ted, was born in Zichron Yaacov. The company known as the biggest real estate initiators in Israel, which occupied more then 170,000 families across Israel, in private houses, apartments and in neighborhoods buildings like "Dreams of Kiriat Ono", "Dreams of Giva'taim", "Giva't Shoham", "Yamim city" in Ramat Poleg and project "The Island" at the Hertzellia marina, which was build on a sea portion that was dried especially for the project. Recently, we reviewed the "Karkur Dreams", which is also being build by the "SHIKON OVDIM" company. Via "Scom", daughter-company of "SHIKON OVDIM", the company also deals with projects that are not meant for residential inhabitant, like commercial real estates, touristic and leisure real estates, and offices real estates. The housing and building maintenance group, the mother- company of "SHIKON OVDIM" is dealing with a lot of real estate projects abroad, and it is also the mother- company of "SOLEL BONAEA" and holding around half of the stocks of "Carmel tunnels" projects and "EVEN and SID" industries, known to us from SHPAYA strip mines, and more then third of the stocks of "HOTZE ISRAEL". "AMIRAY GAN"- initiators and construction company Ltd, which her dominant figure at Zichron Yaacov is the business man Oded Torgeman, was establish only around 1995, but despite the company's young age, it has a lot of experience in commercial buildings structures as well as residential buildings, especially cottages and private houses at Gan- Yavne and Zichron Yaacov. The project's

Execution was given to the "Torg" Ltd, a company with a high reputation owned by Dalit Torgeman (there is no relation).

Accessibility                                                                                                                

The "Zichron Yaacov Dreams" project is located near the historical Moshava, "MOL HA'YEKEV" neighborhoods and "NEVE SHARET" neighborhood, which has an easy access through the road passing the MOSHAVA, road 70, and through the MOSHAVA, via road 1 that leads to Israel's coastal plane as well as the upcoming train station of Zichron Yaacov that will be built in addition to the nearby train station in Binyamina. The commercial centers, entertainment centers and service centers are a drive away, as well as the elementary schools. Good news to the more adult pupils- the new Zichron Yaacov's high school was build right near the project, and should be open for pupils on September, 2007.

Who are the purchasers                                                                                

Purchasers are arriving from Haifa, Ha'sharon region and Tel Aviv and Dan region, as well as purchasers from abroad. The cross section is wide, and among the purchasers are free profession owners and many academics. Most of the purchasers have small children.