Plans call for three mixed-use towers inspired by Tokyo’s Toranomon Hills.
By Eryk Michael Smith/Staff
KAOHSIUNG — The new Kaohsiung Main Station is only part of a massive urban renewal project planned for the area that will include three mixed-use high-rises ranging from 22 to 31 stories. Late last week, ETtoday reported that Kindom Development Co. (德冠德建設股份有限公司) had won the bid and will invest an estimated NT$9.5 billion (US$295 million) on urban renewal projects around Kaohsiung Main Station.
The city expects contract signing by the end of 2025, urban renewal approval in 2027, and project completion by 2034.
Kindom Development Chairman Ma Chih-kang (馬志綱) said the project draws inspiration from Tokyo’s Toranomon Hills, integrating commercial, residential, and public spaces to create “a city center alive both on weekdays and weekends.”
According to Kindom Development, the project will feature: Three towers totaling 29,000 ping (approximately 95,700 square meters), two 22–26-story mixed-use commercial and office buildings, and one 31-story residential tower. Six basement levels will be part of all the sites. Also included in the design will be pedestrian skybridges linking directly to the third-floor platform of Kaohsiung Station and integrated operations with the station’s sunken plaza.
Vice Mayor Lin Chin-jung (林欽榮) said the project benefits from a prime location, connecting northward to Zuoying and southward to the Asia New Bay Area. “This transit-oriented development integrates office, residential, and retail functions, leveraging the MRT network to enhance Kaohsiung’s structural competitiveness,” Lin said.
Ma said the company will partner with Japan’s Mori Building Urban Planning Co., leveraging its experience in large-scale, mixed-use developments. “We’re confident in Kaohsiung’s growth,” Ma said. “By learning from Toranomon Hills, we aim to build a city space full of life and activity every day of the week.”
