Netanya is set to grow significantly in the coming years. The city’s planning commission on Sunday voted to authorize construction of 50,000 housing units, expand land appropriated for industrial and business purposes, and increase the number of hotel rooms along Netanya’s coast.

The expansion will come gradually over the next two decades, the commission said. Over the next three years, specific plans will be hammered out and floated to the public for approval by local planning boards, environmental impact committees, and various government agencies.

The new homes are expected to add about 100,000 residents to Netanya’s current 220,000 residents. Currently, there are about 70,000 housing units in the city. After the plan is completed, there will be about 110,000.

The impact on business will be even greater; the commission is planning to double the area dedicated to business and industry. Additional areas will be allocated to public institutions and parks.

According to Netanya Mayor Miriam Fireberg, “these plans will have an unprecedented impact on residency and employment in the city. Netanya is today an attractive location, with more people coming to live here than are leaving, and plans like this will have an overall positive effect, lifting even the older areas of the city.”