Gwanggyo Central Plaza Project Moved into Full Implementation

The long-stalled Gwanggyo Central Plaza (CBD) project is now moving into full implementation.

- Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, and GH Shake Hands on Project Push

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-seong] The long-stalled Gwanggyo Central Plaza (CBD) development project is now entering full-scale implementation.

The central plaza, to be built behind the Lotte Outlet in Gwanggyo, will be constructed with a total floor area of 12,140 square meters, comprising one ground level and two basement levels.

According to Suwon City on the 10th, the Gwanggyo Central Plaza project began in 2009 with the promotion of "CBD and street space integrated design services." The project took concrete shape when project implementers (Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, Yongin City, and GH) signed a "Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building and Gwanggyo Development Related Agreement" in September 2015, mapping out the development direction for the central business district. However, the project remained in the planning stage due to delays in constructing the Gyeonggi Provincial Government building and differences of opinion among project implementers.

Amid these circumstances, the central plaza project, which had struggled to find a breakthrough, gained momentum when project implementers, led by Suwon City, held a meeting in February this year and decided to pursue "central plaza feasibility review services."

In July, Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, and GH held a joint project implementers meeting and discussed the promotion of the central plaza project based on the feasibility study results.

The feasibility review revealed that connecting the Suwon Convention Center and the Gyeonggi Convergence Town through an underground pedestrian-vehicle passage and sharing parking facilities could establish a foundation for organic and sustainable urban growth.

The analysis also indicated that the central plaza could become a core model of the new Gwanggyo city that harmonizes people and community, economy and nature, when connected to the Gyeonggi Convergence Town and Gwanggyo Lake Park, making it worthwhile to pursue as a "landmark development project."

Suwon City suggested at the joint project implementers meeting, "We must promote the underground pedestrian-vehicle passage connection project," while GH stated, "Urban infrastructure installation should be approached from the perspective of urban infrastructure, user convenience, and landmark development rather than mere economic feasibility. The underground pedestrian-vehicle connection is reflected in the Gwanggyo development implementation plan, and changing the plan could delay the project," GH said.

Suwon City and GH requested Gyeonggi Province's swift decision, and Gyeonggi Province expressed its view that "while there are matters requiring additional review, we share the consensus that rapid project implementation is necessary," making the central plaza project increasingly viable.

Meanwhile, an underground pedestrian-vehicle passage connecting the Suwon Convention Center and the Gyeonggi Convergence Town will be constructed beneath the Gwanggyo Central Plaza, with a "pedestrian bridge" to be built at ground level. Once the underground pedestrian-vehicle passage is completed, the shared parking facility effect between the Suwon Convention Center and the Gyeonggi Convergence Town is expected to resolve chronic parking shortages around the central plaza and alleviate vehicle congestion at Gwanggyo Joong-ro intersection, a habitual traffic bottleneck.