PYONGTAEK, South Korea — Korean developers and civic leaders are fleshing out plans on how to ensure this relatively rural city keeps pace with an expanded U.S. military hub at nearby Camp Humphreys.

Last week, city officials kicked off the early development phases of “Peace City,” a massive complex that will eventually include schools for foreigners, hospitals, entertainment centers and administrative buildings.

Between now and next February, agents from the Korea Land Corporation will scout locations in the region and try to sell the public on building a development largely aimed at providing services for the thousands of U.S. troops expected to move into the area.

Under deals reached between the U.S. and South Korean governments, American military bases will be consolidated into two hubs — one in Pyongtaek, the other further south in the Taegu area.

Korea Land Corporation officials hope to have sites identified by October, with work beginning shortly thereafter.

The construction would require massive environmental oversight and a revamping of the city’s traffic system, to support the likely increase in traffic both from an expanded U.S. base and a larger neighboring city.

KLC has not yet put a price tag on the project, but it is expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The group faces opposition from some civic groups and local residents, who are fighting the expansion of the base. Some of the groups simply don’t want to move from their land — even though they will be compensated by the South Korean government — while others are politically opposed to the U.S. troop presence.

Even though it must still address the opposition’s concerns, Pyongtaek City is “promoting the plan so that the announcement of the new city can be made no later than the end of this year,” a city official said.

The sites under heaviest consideration are near Songtan, officials said, where a shopping and entertainment district geared toward American servicemembers already exists.

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