By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — Construction has begun on a NT$18.8 billion redevelopment beside Zuoying High Speed Rail Station, advancing a long-planned effort to turn largely undeveloped land west of the station into a commercial and transportation center.
The publicly led urban-renewal project, known as the Zuoying HSR Technology Hub (左營高鐵科技之心), will place three 26-story buildings across two sites. The latest design gives the two office towers angled inner facades intended to create a gateway when viewed together.
The development has consequently been given the additional name “Kaohsiung Gateway” (高雄之門).
Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) joined representatives of Kingdom Group (國揚集團) and its project company, Hsin Yang International Development (欣揚國際開發), at the groundbreaking ceremony on Monday.
The two development sites cover approximately 4,713 ping, or 1.56 hectares, and will contain about 65,240 ping of floor space. The developer currently expects the project to be completed in 2036, according to Central News Agency.
Under the latest plans, both towers on Site A will primarily contain Grade A offices. Shops and the proposed Zuoying bus terminal will occupy their lower levels.
Site B will contain a hotel and 342 residential units, along with a public childcare center, neighborhood activity center, park and underground parking. The hotel is expected to occupy the first eight floors of the building, the Kaohsiung City Government Finance Bureau said.
A proposed elevated green deck and pedestrian route covering nearly 9,900 square meters would connect the two development sites with Taiwan Railways’ Xinzuoying Station and HSR Zuoying Station. The route is planned as an accessible walking space separated from street-level traffic.
Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the project forms part of the city’s North City Plan and semiconductor “S Corridor” strategy. The western side of the station, Chen told the Central News Agency, has remained undeveloped for almost two decades after high-speed rail service began in 2007, despite connections to Taiwan High Speed Rail, Taiwan Railways and the Kaohsiung Metro.
