The Zichron Yaacov Moshava ("Colony")

Oh... the Moshava, the Moshava ("Colony"). Many of the tourists visiting Zichron Yaacov, many of the future buyers, and certainly for many of the Moshava's residents, "Zichron Yaacov IS The Moshava" and "the Moshava is Zichron Yaacov". Indeed there is no doubt that the fragrance of Zichron Yaacov is a fragrance of a colony. The small houses with the green shutters and the red roofs. The big plots, the backyards and the old trees. And yes, also the carelessness (and some will say negligence) of a sleepy colony somewhere on the mountain incline above the ("old") road between Tel-Aviv and Haifa.

There are romantics among us surrounded with nostalgia who are calling a "colony" the entire Zichron Yaacov  with its 17,000 inhabitants, which in a short time, as it will reach the 20,000 limit will be entitled to have (according to the interior ministry's regulations) a status of a town. Those are calling the "Colony Center" what we (the haughty, at least from the urban stand point) are calling "The Colony". Let's make it clear: here, for the purpose of this review, we call "the Moshava", the historic center of the Zichron Yaacov colony. To remove any doubt, we shall define the limits of this special region for our real estate interest as follows:

From the west, the colony is limited by the Zait Street in the "Yaacov Neighborhood", by the west edge of Ygal Alon Street, by Baron's Farm Hotel at Yair Street and by Tzahal Street and the "Western Cliff" (cf.).

In the north, the colony ends with an imaginary line that starts at "Zamarin Hill" (cf.) and ends at the extremity of the "Meyasdim Street", where it changes its name to Pineles Road at its junction with Herzl Street, next to the entrance into "Villas in the Wood".

In the east, the limit of "the colony" is Zabotinsky Street and it touches the "Goren" neighborhood near the old "Egged" bus station (which is the historic "Goren" compound).

In the south, the colony ends with an imaginary line that climbs from the Hakovshim Street, in the cemetery region, towards the new municipal library at the corner of the Zabotinsky Street.

But this also may be controversial. You have just seen. It's difficult even to define the limits of this "neighborhood" which is called colony. By its nature, the Colony neighborhood developed in the most organic way among all Zichron Yaacov's neighborhoods. We call it organic as it developed over more than hundred years, with innumerable plans, according to the needs of the time and development that was adapted to the needs of a single house and not the entire compound. And it is still evolving. It contains (we shall come to it later on) huge construction rights and many plots that have not yet made usage of these construction rights. The neighborhood's capacity, that's how are named the unused rights in the future plans, is for much more residential units than have been built until now. The land in the center of the colony is private and registered at the land registry office. The reason for that - most of the lands here were not confiscated in 1948, but were purchased many years earlier by the Baron, and finally have been sold to the peasants. It's assumed that one of the reasons that attracted to this place the "Beit El" community at its beginning, was the fact that there was no need of Israel's Land Authority's authorization for the transfer of Dora Schwartz's land on their name albeit the opposition of the local council (and the verdict of the Supreme Court in this case is studied until now at the law schools...). There are various types of properties (villas, cottages, apartments, shops, businesses and public buildings) and so is the population: many veteran peasants and generations of their families, even those whose grand grandmother and grand grandfather paid off their mortgage during the First World War. Many religious families, (especially national religious, modern orthodox and conservative) that the proximity to the synagogues attracted them to this neighborhood. Couples without children (many single renters, and many older people). "Yuppies" and high-tech people, beside agriculturists, riches beside poor. The types of properties are also diversified: single houses, cottages, apartments, businesses and public buildings. And that's in fact the character of the colony and its population - extremely diversified and colorful. If  Zichron Yaacov is "Mini Israel", than the colony is "Mini Zichron Yaacov".

What the colony may expect in the coming years? On one side, there is no doubt that at the end the vision of the economic society (which was dismantled in the meantime?) headed by Ilit Freund (doing now in Tiberias what she could keep doing here for us) will be realized  and a new greener axis of tourism, will be stretched perpendicular to the pedestrian street between Zamarin Hill (which one day will become an artists' village) and Daniel's and Langa's houses. From the other side, the rising land prices are inciting the landowners and inheritors of land whose owners died, to realize all the construction rights or to sell it to those that will desire to do so. Thus we may expect to see the small houses on one dunam of land, replaced by cottages on a quarter of a dunam, as the city construction plan allows four units on a dunam for most of the colony's area. By the way, that's the reason for the high prices of the properties (even though the rights were still not realized). The circulation and parking problems will be even tougher and if it's difficult for you to move around in the area of the Ohel Yaacov synagogue at the corner of Hameyasdim/Hanadiv Streets at Friday afternoon, on Zabotinsky Street or in the area of the Hyper Neto and the new municipal library, imagine the traffic load that will be there after the development of the neighborhoods at the east of the colony. The northern bypass road was supposed to relieve the traffic load, but it seems that the council succeeded to cancel the construction plan without any replacement.

But let's return to the romantics... The fall in love of the home buyers with Zichron Yaacov, begins frequently by wandering through the colony. Many of the buyers in the last years came to visit the pedestrian mall and fell in love with the locality. Indeed, how not to? First of all, the area of the colony is beautiful, pastoral, and during most of the week it's even calm. It seems that time has stopped its advance here. Many houses here have a typical Israeli character. The access by foot to the coffee shops, restaurants and shops is convenient, the public transportation to and from the locality, the synagogues, the municipal services, the post office, the banks and the atmosphere in the colony, are cosmopolitan. Veterans, with family roots in Rumania, mix with immigrants that have just arrived from the US. There are tourists from France, and visitors from Europe or South America beside Israeli "Tzabars". It's a small locality with a great public. In how many small localities in Israel you can hear a mixture of many languages from all over the world? And the history... The colony in Zichron Yaacov has a long and important Zionist history, and many of its buildings store that history. The Aharonson house (where Aharonson wrote about the "wheat mother" and where the "Nili" underground operated. The Benyamin pool (that provided water to the settlers and is named after the Baron), the winery (the first Kosher winery of out time in the Land of Israel), the Ohel Yaacov Synagogue (named agfter the Baron's father), Lenga's house (a landmark in the Israeli architecture), the clerks' house (today the museum of the pioneers, where the Baron's clerks were working). The purchase of a house in the colony is also a purchase of a piece of Israeli history (or a piece that is attached to it...).

The beginning of Zichron Yaacov was actually in the Zamarin Hill (sometimes named the "Old Zichron") by the "Carmel" winery. But after the Baron's arrival, he has chosen to develop the Peasants' Street (the Meyasdim Street as of today part of which is the pedestrian mall) and the "Clerks Street" (the Hanadiv Street of today) which is perpendicular to it. The construction of the Benyamin pool for water supply at the upper side of the current pedestrial mall was an influential factor for the immigration of the agriculturists to the Meyasdim Street. But who remembers history? Just as for many the colony is Zichron Yaacov, thus for many the Meyasdim street (and especially the part between Nili and Hanadiv Streets) is "The" Colony. In one way or the other, this area is without any doubt the heart of the locality.

Prices?

The prices of properties in the Meyasdim Street (which constitutes the watershed line, topographically as well as from the real-estate point of view) are very expensive, the number of transactions is negligible (among other reasons because most of the properties are family estates) and are influenced by their location relative to the north-south axis. The central part, is the most expensive (also because of its commercial potential), and the properties' prices decrease slowly while moving southward (the low numbers) and northward (the high numbers). A proximity to a historical site (Aharonson House, for instance) will also contribute to its higher price. A plot of dunam in Hameyasdin Street which is designated for 4 residential units, will be offered for around 650,000$ and up, and still there are no sellers. Parallel to it to the east, the Zabotinsky Street, that for several reasons, among them its heavy traffic will have prices lower by 20% from a similar property in the Meyasdim Street. On the west side, at Herzl street, and again, albeit its proximity to the Meyasdim Street, the prices will be significantly lower (let's say 10-20%) that the price of a similar property at the Meyasdim Street. The Oranim Street is a little bit further away from the Colony's center, what makes it less convenient for those that desire to be close to the center, but compensates by its relative calm and thus its prices are similar to those of the Herzl Street.

But the Colony is not just Hameyasdim, Herzl and Zabotinsky Streets, and from real estate point of view, a distance of 100 meters inside the colony may be a completely different world. We have said real estate? It's sometimes, another world from all points of view. And the colony contains numerous other points of charm. Let's point to some of them:

The Broshim Street for instance; one of the most beautiful streets in the country, with old cypress trees bordering the street going to the Langa and Daniel houses. All street's houses are single houses. It's a cul-de-sac road, very quiet and houses that offer a lot of privacy. Houses on this street on a half dunam plot will be proposed from the level of half a million dollars and up. A house on a dunam will be sold for 750,000$ and up.

The Yemenits neighborhood (the Chil Street and those perpendicular to it: Hagdud Haivri and Ayelet Hashachar), a neighborhood in which settled the first immigrants from Yemen, is being transformed in a way which reminds the transformation of the Neve Tzedek neighborhood. The houses there were built on one dunam of land, part of them was divided in two and now some begin to divide the halves into quarters. The neighborhood is crossing a renovation phase and there is an expectation that it will have an excellent future from real estate standpoint; its proximity to the colony's center, the view to the sea and the Carmel that opens from many of its houses and the character of its narrow lanes are attractive to those who know what's going on. A plot of half a dunam (with or without a house for destruction/renovation) which can contain two cottages will be proposed for 300,000$ and up.

Another charming area is Yavetz and HaRokeach Alleys, which are perpendicular to Herzl street. It's a quiet and humble neighborhood with houses that seem hiding in the trees' shadow. Most of the houses in this area are two-families cottages, built in the last years and their prices vary between $280,000-340,000, according to their location in the street, their size and their state. The price of a dunam of land for destruction/construction in this area is $500,000 and up.

The area of the Ygal Alon Street (and also Keren Hayesod, Yair, Zohar and Etzion), is an appreciated and attractive area. The proximity to the Daniel's House compound (and the possibility to walk through it to the colony's center) is an advantage that will show up in the price. Part of the houses in this area (especially in the Ygal Alon Street) have a magnificent view to the sea, and the price of such a house may be 30% higher compared to a house with mountain view, which will be 20-30% more expensive than a house without any view in this area. On the other side, a too big proximity to the hotels, including the buses that frequently arrive there, will have a negative impact on the price. A single house in the Ygal Alon Street will be sold for no less than 500,000$ but we have already seen sales which cross the million dollars limit, when the plot and the house are bigger.

The Maale Hacarmel and Yefe Nof Streets are very prestigious. What's called in the United States a "good address". The houses offer a lot of privacy, and it's very convenient to arrive from these houses to the colony's center, by crossing the Daniel House compound. Some of the houses have view to the sea, even though it's sometimes just partial. The area touches to the "Western Cliff" region which is most expensive; nonetheless it's accessible by foot. The rear entrance to the "Mivtahim" compound which's future is still in the primary plans may be a nuisance to the inhabitants of these streets. Nuisance or not, a comfortable villa on one dunam in this street will reach a million dollars and more, if it will be put on the market (for the moment there are no properties fro sale). In the nearby streets, Hashaked and Hagefen, the prices are 30% lower. A house for renovation on half a dunam in this area will be sold for about $400,000 and even less, if it requires a complete renovation.

The Hamada and Hanassy streets - those streets are considered as attractive and not in vain. They are close to the center, at a relatively not too difficult walking distance, also from a topographic point of view. Most of the houses in those streets are single houses; some of them, located in the western part have a magnificent view to the sea. A villa in this area with a view to the sea, on half a dunam, will be proposed for $600,000-700,000 and without view to the sea for around half a million dollars.

The Maginim Street - Do you know this charming street? There is no second to it in Zichron Yaacov. It is shy; the entrance to it is by a dirt path that begins at the Meyasdim Street. For a while it seems you are in a village. The road is not paved and the electricity and telephone wires swing with the wind. Do you think it's a disadvantage? That's not the way the people who love this street think about it; this is its particularity - it's adjacent to the colony's center and it's also calm. Inside the colony but also with an astonishing view to Wadi Milek and Shfeya. "In the city and in the country". A comfortable and fully equipped villa is proposed for about 2 million $. A plot in this street with a view, intended for 4 houses, will be proposed for not less than $700,000.

Supplementary Note

Adjacent to the colony are located additional compounds, uniques also. We are short of space to cover each of them separately. We will only note the splendid "Zamarin Hill" area, with its slowly progressing plans to transform it into an artists' village (in the meantime in its center is operating a building blocs factory), the "Goren" area, with it's immigrants residences, where you can still find cheap apartments close to the center approaching the "Mul Hayekev" neighborhood, the "western cliff" area and the prestige houses of million dollars and more oriented towards the sea.

Not for everybody

And there are also factors that decrease the price: the cemetery of Zichron Yaacov is situated in the colony - proximity to it may decrease the price by 10-15% percent in the best case, and to delay significantly the property's sale process in the worst case. Some people are absolutely opposed to buying a property in proximity of a cemetery. The circulation in the colony area means a lot of noise, parking problems and pollution. That's not for everybody! And there are also those that don't like that pedestrians cross by the front of their house at any time of the day. The children also, it seems, prefer other neighborhoods, where there are more children. The proximity of commerce, coffee shops, supermarkets etc., is also not for everybody. But the one who buys and lives in the colony" is not "everybody"! The colony was and will stay one of the most unique "neighborhoods" in Israel, and its residents, those who live there, are those that something more than a real estate investment brought them here. And this in itself makes them special - especially here, and especially today.