Gyeonggi Province to Break Ground on 'Eoulrim Center' Hub Facility for Hwaseong Hwangge Urban Regeneration Project This Month

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gapdong] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 22nd that it will break ground on the 'Eoulrim Center,' a hub facility for the Hwaseong Hwangge urban regeneration project, in September.

The Hwaseong Hwangge urban regeneration project, selected in the 2018 Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport public competition, is promoting various projects in accordance with the urban regeneration activation plan, including △construction of the Eoulrim Center △alleyway-linked housing repairs △safe village creation △construction of King Jeongjo's procession route △reservoir environment improvement △and operation of hearing treatment programs.

The Hwangge-dong area is adjacent to the Suwon Fighter Airfield, and residents are continuously relocating due to fighter jet noise and property rights restrictions from military facility protection zones. As a result, basic infrastructure has deteriorated and residential environments have worsened further, making it a region where measures are necessary to improve the living environment, such as support for resident welfare and convenience facilities.

The 'Eoulrim Center' is planned to be constructed at a scale of one basement level to two above-ground floors with a total floor area of 1,144.25 square meters in the vicinity of 159-3 Hwangge-dong, Hwaseong City. The center will provide diverse community spaces for local residents including cultural classrooms, experience workshops, seminar rooms, and exhibition halls. Additionally, plans include constructing a new senior center and converting existing deteriorated senior center sites for use as mini parks.

When the 'Eoulrim Center' is completed in December next year, it is expected that exchanges among local residents will become more active, community capacity will be strengthened, and vitality will be added to the declining village.

Meanwhile, the province has achieved a record 67 sites selected nationwide in the government's urban regeneration public competition this year through cooperation with cities and counties and the Urban Regeneration Support Center to revitalize declining downtown areas across the province. Currently, adding 20 Gyeonggi Province-type urban regeneration projects, the province is promoting urban regeneration projects at 87 locations.

Seo Sang-gyu, team leader of the Province's Regeneration Management Division, said, "Hwangge-dong is a region suffering significant hardship from noise from the Suwon Fighter Airfield, and through this urban regeneration project, we will make active efforts to provide residents with an improved residential environment and better quality of life."