Eight years after announcement, delays fuel growing community concern
Hanam Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae held a press conference at the city hall situation room Thursday, calling on the government to take an active role in pushing forward the Gyosan new town project.
"It has been eight years since the Gyosan new town was announced on Dec. 19, 2018, to stabilize the Greater Seoul housing market, yet delays continue and community concerns are growing," Lee said, attributing the setbacks to the government's failure to respond proactively.
Lee went on to say that as the ninth term of directly elected local government begins, he is asking the central government to step in and resolve outstanding issues so that the Gyosan new town can move forward without delay — bringing affordable housing to the metropolitan area and allowing Hanam to develop normally.
The mayor identified five key issues: reinvesting development profits into community facilities such as administrative welfare centers, libraries and gymnasiums; completing a job-creating city; installing noise barriers near the Junbu Expressway's Mannam-ui Gwangjang rest area; establishing a relocation plan for original residents; and finalizing a wide-area transportation plan that includes improvements to the Hanam interchange.
Lee also called on the government and Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) to honor commitments made in the third-generation new town announcement and related agreements — specifically, to build a city where residents can commute to central Seoul (Gwanghwamun) within 30 minutes, a city that creates jobs, a city that is good for raising children, and a city built together with the local community.
Meanwhile, the Hanam Gyosan public housing district is a third-generation new town project covering approximately 6.86 million square meters across the Cheonhyeon-dong, Gyosan-dong and Chungung-dong areas of Hanam. Gyeonggi Province, LH, Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Development Corp. (GH) and Hanam Urban Corp. are co-developers. A total of 37,000 housing units are planned for the site.
pjh@heraldcorp.com
