Seoul City to Lift Floor Height Restrictions of 15 and 35 Floors for Apartments Along the Han River

Likely Reflected in the '2040 Seoul Plan' Urban Master Plan to Be Completed by the End of This Year
"No Complexes Have Been Finalized Yet"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to abolish the height restrictions that have been applied to major reconstruction apartment complexes.

On the 19th, according to Seoul City, at a recent meeting with representatives of the Yeouido reconstruction complex, the city expressed that if they cooperate with the public contribution ratio or social mix plans requested by the city, incentives such as easing the '15 floors or below' regulation could be provided. No complexes have been confirmed for application yet.

Seoul City established the 'Seoul Skyline Management Principles' in 2013 during the tenure of former Mayor Park Won-soon, limiting the height to 35 floors or less in Type 3 General Residential Areas and 15 floors or less in areas adjacent to the Han River waterfront. Furthermore, this standard was included in the city's basic urban plan, the '2030 Seoul Plan,' and all reconstruction plans exceeding this limit have been rejected in review.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon, during his previous term, promoted development along the Han River through projects such as the 'Han River Renaissance,' and even before taking office in April this year, he pledged to reorganize regulations such as the 'Han River waterfront apartments limited to 35 floors or less,' raising expectations in the reconstruction market.

Since taking office, Mayor Oh has not specifically addressed the height issue of Han River waterfront apartments due to concerns about stimulating housing prices in major reconstruction complexes, but he has repeatedly emphasized the policy of easing uniform redevelopment and reconstruction regulations.

Seoul City is also considering deleting or relaxing the existing height restriction provisions in the ongoing '2040 Seoul Plan.' The '2040 Seoul Plan,' which reflects Mayor Oh's new urban planning vision, is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.