Namyangju City Accelerates New City Hall Construction⋯ "Preparing for Future Megacity of 1 Million Residents"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Eom In-yong] Namyangju City announced on the 12th that it will accelerate efforts to realize the goal of completing the new city hall by December 2031.

To this end, the city plans to establish a master plan including construction scale and method in the second half of next year when the ongoing 'new city hall feasibility study and basic planning project' is completed, and will proceed with administrative procedures including feasibility review through the Local Government Management Assistance Center (LOMAC) and investment review.

The city completed the purchase of public building sites 5 and 6 in Dasan New Town in 2022 and has been accumulating new city hall construction funds of over 2 billion won annually since 2021. Approximately 85.6 billion won has been secured to date, and the amount is projected to reach 110 billion won in the second half of next year.

The current city hall in Geumgok-dong was the Migeum City Hall at the time of the merger of Namyangju County and Migeum City in 1995. Since then, Namyangju has grown into a major city with a population of 740,000, and is looking ahead to becoming a megacity of 1 million residents around 2035.

To respond to increasingly diverse and growing administrative needs and prepare for future special city status, a new city hall commensurate with these demands is urgently needed. Additionally, Geumgok-dong, where the current city hall is located, faces limitations in expansion due to designation as a development restriction zone and cultural heritage protection zone.

Accordingly, the city decided to construct the new city hall in Dasan-dong, the secondary city hall site as stipulated in the administrative organization establishment ordinance at the time of merger, and is steadily preparing accordingly. Currently, various administrative agencies are concentrated in this area, and when the new city hall is completed, residents are expected to enjoy greater convenience in accessing administrative services.

Meanwhile, the city is organizing and operating a new city hall construction task force headed by Vice Mayor Hong Ji-seon.

Namyangju Mayor Ju Gwang-deok said, "Since the new city hall construction is a century-long plan for Namyangju's future and citizens, we will focus on continuous communication with various sectors and gathering opinions, and will draw up a blueprint together through the new city hall promotion committee regarding construction direction and spatial composition," adding "We will mobilize administrative resources to create a future-oriented city hall that reflects Namyangju's characteristics."