Shulin selected as location for New Taipei Dome

New Taipei, July 22 (CNA) New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) on Wednesday announced that the Shulin No. 5 institutional-use site in Shulin District has been selected as the location for the proposed New Taipei Dome, a 50,000-seat multipurpose indoor stadium.

Hou made the announcement after receiving the final site evaluation report from Sports Office Director Hung Yu-ling (洪玉玲) at a municipal meeting.

According to the city government, the site emerged as the preferred choice after two rounds of scientific assessments and more than 70 meetings and evaluations by 23 experts from government, academia and industry. The review considered 26 criteria, including surrounding conditions, transportation and long-term sustainability.

The site is located at the junction of Shulin, Xinzhuang and Banqiao districts, immediately south of the Shulin Civil Sports Center.

The city said the location offers strong transportation links, including Provincial Highway No. 65, which connects to National Freeway No. 1 and No. 3, proximity to Taiwan Railway's Shulin Station, and a planned station on the Wanda-Zhonghe-Shulin MRT Line.

Those transport connections will allow the venue to safely and efficiently disperse up to 50,000 spectators after major sporting events and concerts, Hou said.

The city also said it plans to acquire about 9 hectares of land for the project through zone expropriation, giving it greater control over the stadium's development as well as surrounding commercial and industrial areas while reducing development uncertainty.

The broader site covers about 23 hectares, which will be designated as a sports industry park. At least 10 hectares will be allocated for the dome itself.

According to the city, the population within a 30-minute travel radius of the site is projected to exceed 2.6 million, providing strong consumer demand and helping support commercial operations even outside the sporting season.

Hou said the project will go beyond the traditional concept of a sports stadium by integrating sporting events with concerts, cultural performances, tourism, recreation and commercial facilities, creating a new urban hub for New Taipei.

Preparatory work is expected to take about five years, with construction scheduled to begin in 2032, Hou said.

Noting that the project would extend beyond his term in office, Hou said he "wholeheartedly" entrusts its completion to his successors.