By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — Kaohsiung is set to gain a string of new retail and mixed-use developments, stretching from Fongshan to Aozihdi, Kaohsiung Station and the Asia New Bay Area.
But a recent roundup of six “new malls” makes the timeline look more immediate, and more uniform, than it really is. Some projects are nearing completion. Others remain construction projects with opening dates that could still move. And one, Aozihdi’s Parking Lot 35, is primarily a public parking and government-services building with commercial space, not a conventional department store.
The most imminent opening is the Parking Lot 35 BOT project beside Aozihdi Forest Park. The city says its 600-car and 1,100-motorcycle parking facility is scheduled to begin operating in November. The building will also house the Gushan Household Registration Office, traffic police, a library and other public services. Kaohsiung’s Transportation Bureau says the wider project is still approaching completion.
The larger retail story begins in Fongshan, where Mitsui’s LaLaport Kaohsiung is expected to open no later than the first quarter of 2027. The development near Weiwuying and Fongshan West MRT Station is planned to have about 270 stores. Mitsui has said it will include the immersive digital-art operator ARTE MUSEUM and local restaurant group Hanlai Foods. Central News Agency reported that the project could open as early as the end of this year, although an exact date has not been announced; a mall’s structure can be almost complete while tenant fit-outs, permits and transport arrangements are still unresolved.
At Kaohsiung Station, Global Mall signed a deal with Taiwan Railway Corp. in April to operate the 10-story commercial building above the underground station, along with surrounding commercial space. The planned mall will cover about 16,000 ping, or roughly 53,000 square meters. Global Mall has said it aims to open within two years, placing it around late 2027 or early 2028 rather than next year. Taiwan Railway announced the signing.
Aozihdi is also getting two much bigger commercial projects. Fubon Life’s “Kaohsiung Star” development, near the intersection of Bo’ai 2nd and Dashun roads, is to include Hanshin Department Store’s third Kaohsiung branch, as well as offices, a hotel, a convention facility and an aquarium. The development is still under construction; reports have pointed to 2028 for its retail opening. Liberty Times reported in January that the project could be completed as early as late 2027.
E Sky Land’s long-planned B building, beside E Sky Mall and the Kaohsiung Marriott Hotel, is another project that should not be mistaken for a newly announced mall. The developer describes it as a combination of offices, cinema, interactive entertainment, shops, restaurants and leisure facilities. Its own website does not give a firm public opening date. E Sky Land has promoted it as North Kaohsiung’s largest entertainment center.
In the Asia New Bay Area, Southeast Mile Plaza is planned as something different again: a low-rise, open-air retail cluster rather than a department store. Reports say it will have 12 separate buildings and 24 shop units next to the new Costco store near Circular Light Rail C7 Station, with completion now expected in 2027. Shopping Design reported that the project is being developed as a street-style retail district.
Taken together, the projects will give Kaohsiung more places to shop, eat and spend time. They will also test whether the city has enough customers, transport capacity and distinct commercial identities to support them all.
The question is not whether Kaohsiung is building more retail space. It plainly is. The harder question is whether each project will offer something more useful than another indoor mall with the same chains, food courts, and parking problems.
