Omiya Station has the largest number of daily passengers in Saitama Prefecture and is one of the leading terminal stations in the metropolitan area, served by 12 lines operated by three companies: JR East, Tobu Railway, and Saitama New Transit. The station is connected to six Shinkansen lines (Shinkansen and conventional lines), including Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, and Hokkaido lines and Joetsu and Hokuriku lines, and numerous conventional lines, making it the transportation hub of Saitama Prefecture. Because of this convenient accessibility, Omiya Station has been attracting attention as it was ranked second only to Yokohama in SUUMO's "2025 Metropolitan Area Ranking of the Best Places to Live".
Against the backdrop of this favorable location and high popularity, Saitama City formulated the "Omiya Station Grand Central Station Concept (Omiya GCS Concept)" in 2018. This concept promotes a three-pronged approach to further upgrading the station's functions, including the development of transportation infrastructure centered on the station square, urban development in the area surrounding the station, and transfer improvements. The goal is to enhance the station's centrality as the gateway to eastern Japan and to strengthen its function as a transportation node. In fact, several redevelopment projects are currently underway or completed in the Omiya Station area, and urban infrastructure and private sector development are working in tandem to create the city.
| Area | Project name/area | Main Use Composition | Scale (number of floors, total floor area) | Scheduled start/completion of construction | Special note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Exit | Daimoncho 3-chome Naka Area Redevelopment | Office, retail, financial institution, parking lot | B1/21 floors above ground (max. 100 m), total floor area approx. 40,000 m2 | Construction to start in 2025 Construction to be completed in 2028 |
High-grade offices, banks and retail on lower floors, pedestrian plaza, disaster prevention functions |
| East Exit | Omiya Gate Street | Public hall, commercial | B1/17 floors above ground | 2020 Start of construction 2022 Completed |
Cultural complex with Reibok Hall at its core |
| West Exit | District 3-A, D Redevelopment | Residential (approx. 230 units in tower), office, retail and parking | Residential tower 27 floors above ground, 2 floors below ground Business tower: 21 floors above ground, 2 floors below ground Total floor space: approx. 85,000m2 |
Construction to begin in 2025 (under review) Scheduled to be completed in 2027 (with delays) |
Construction of indoor passageway "Machinaka Galleria" and plaza "Machinaka Place |
| West Exit | District 3-B (Omiya Sky & Square) | Residential, office, commercial, public | Residential 28F / Business 13F | Start of construction in 2021 Completed in May 2024 |
Sold out tower for sale, traffic environment improved by widening the adjacent road |
| West Exit | Sakuragi Parking Lot Site Utilization Project (Sakuragi PPJ) | Retail, office, fitness center, wedding hall, parking lot | 5 buildings (total floor area over 30,000m2) | Construction to start on April 15, 2025 Scheduled to be completed in spring 2027 |
Omiya Well-being Station" concept, "Densha Hiroba" railroad car exhibit |
A large-scale redevelopment project is underway at the east exit of Omiya Station in the "Daimoncho 3-chome Naka Area" near the station. The 0.6-hectare area has many dilapidated buildings and underutilized land, and the lack of urban planning road maintenance and narrow roads have reduced the mobility of residents. Therefore, the construction of a large-scale complex building with advanced land use was planned and materialized after the urban planning decision was made in December 2023.
The high-rise building, with one basement floor and 21 floors above ground (maximum height of approximately 100 meters), is planned to include offices, a bank, commercial facilities, and a parking lot. The schedule for the future shows that construction will begin in 2025 and be completed in 2028. The lower level of the building will have bank stores, commercial floors, and green open spaces, while the upper level will be offices with excellent environmental performance. The upper floors will be offices with excellent environmental performance. This is a leading project that also takes into consideration "walkable urban development" and enhanced disaster prevention functions.
At the east exit, a redevelopment building called "Oomiyadomachi" will be completed in 2022, and public facilities such as a civic hall and commercial facilities are already in operation. The Oomiyadomachi 3-chome project is an effort to strengthen urban functions in the adjacent area.
Large-scale development projects are also underway in parallel in the area surrounding the west exit of Omiya Station. The "Omiya West Exit Area 3" on the west side of the station is divided into several blocks (A-E), of which the urban redevelopment project is planned in the 3-A and D areas. In order to address issues such as dense concentration of old wooden buildings, lack of open space, narrow streets and complicated intersections, a large-scale mixed-use redevelopment project consisting of commercial, business, residential and parking facilities is planned on a site of approximately 9,500 m2.
The residential tower will consist of approximately 230 residential units (27 stories above ground), and the business tower will be a 21-story office building with a total floor area of approximately 85,000 square meters, including approximately 8,000 square meters of commercial floors and 400 parking spaces. The site will also include the "Machinaka Galleria" (indoor passageway) for pedestrians to pass through and the "Machinaka Place" event space. Construction of this redevelopment project was originally scheduled to begin in FY2025 and be completed in FY2027, but the schedule is currently being revised.
On the other hand, the redevelopment project in the West Exit 3-B area has already been completed, with the construction of the 28-story residential building "Omiya Sky & Square The Tower" and the 13-story business and utility building "Omiya Sakura Square" completed in May 2024, and the commercial zone (Sakura Square Mall) opened in July. The redevelopment of the area is expected to be completed in May 2024. In conjunction with this redevelopment, urban planning roads "Sakuragi Routes 1 and 2" were newly constructed on the north side of the west exit of the station, and the surrounding roads were widened and improved. The existing narrow roads have been greatly widened, and the traffic environment has been improved with the construction of a new five-way intersection.
In addition, construction of the Sakuragi Parking Lot Utilization Project (Sakuragi PPJ) by JR East and Daiwa House Group began on April 15, 2025 at the former municipal parking lot site in Sakuragi-cho 3-chome, a 10-minute walk from the west exit. The project consists of a commercial building, an office building, a parking lot building, a fitness center building, and a MICE wedding hall building on a site area of approximately 18,000 m2. Under the development concept of "Omiya Well-being Station," the project aims to create a new business, cultural and lifestyle hub." Plans include the development of a "Train Plaza" that takes advantage of the characteristics of "Omiya, the City of Railroads," and events that connect the food culture of various regions through a product transportation service using the Shinkansen.
In conjunction with each redevelopment project, the transportation infrastructure around the station is also being improved. The road network on the north side of the station will be strengthened with the opening of a new road in District 3-B at the west exit, and pedestrian circulation will be improved in Districts 3-A and 3-D with the construction of the "Machinaka Galleria" and pedestrian walkway-like open spaces. At the East Exit, the reorganization of the station square and surrounding streets is under consideration, and the separation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic lines and the functional improvement of bus and cab boarding areas are issues to be addressed.
The Omiya GCS concept includes plans to construct a new east-west free passageway (approximately 260 m long x 15 m wide) within the station in cooperation with railroad operators, and to improve the aging Tobu Noda Line (Tobu Urban Park Line) Omiya Station (by increasing the number of tracks from two on one side to three on two sides and building a bridge). This is expected to improve the circulation of the East-West Exit and facilitate transfers between various modes of transportation in the future.
The rush to redevelopment is expected to have a multifaceted positive impact on the regional economy of the Omiya area. The supply of large-scale office space is expected to attract corporate needs to the area, creating jobs and attracting related businesses. The opening of new commercial facilities and exchange centers will increase the number of visitors to the area and stimulate consumption, adding new attractions to the area's tourism resources as a "railroad town.
In the real estate market, redevelopment is expected to raise real estate values in the Omiya Station area. Land price levels in Omiya Ward are far above the city average, and redeveloped tower condominiums near the station are also highly sought after. With the expansion of high-quality housing stock and further improvement of transportation convenience, Omiya Ward is expected to further increase its reputation as a "desirable place to live.
The redevelopment project around Omiya Station is an urban renewal project that makes the most of its strength as a railroad node. The concentration of advanced urban functions around the station is creating an attractive town for both business and residential use. The area around Omiya Station, where urban development and public infrastructure improvement are proceeding in tandem, is expected to continue to develop in the future, and when multiple redevelopment projects are completed by around 2028, a new image befitting the "Gateway to East Japan" will emerge.