Yongsan-gu Wonhyoro 4-ga Hyundai Car Service Center Site Becomes Future Automotive R&D Hub

Yongsan-gu, Wonhyoro 4-ga 114-36 Area District Unit Plan Public Notice... Hyundai Motor Service Center Site District Unit Plan Zone Established... 18,120.3㎥ Scale

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yongsan, the ‘city of the future,’ is being reborn as a new hub for future industry innovation in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Company.

Yongsan District Office (District Mayor Seongjang Hyun) announced on the 27th the public inspection of the district unit plan (draft) for the area around 114-36 Wonhyo-ro 4-ga. This is in accordance with Article 28 of the “National Land Planning and Utilization Act” (hearing opinions from residents and local councils).

The inspection period is from August 27 to September 10, and the inspection location is the Urban Planning Division of the district office.

According to the announcement, the district will establish a new district unit planning zone (18,120.3 ㎥) on the site of Hyundai Motor’s Wonhyo-ro Service Center. The zoning (Category 2 General Residential Area) will be maintained, but use restrictions such as floor area (under 3,000㎡) will be relaxed. The use district is a Historical and Cultural Special Landscape District, with a maximum height of 7 floors.

A district official stated, “We will relax the restrictions on office facilities and research institutes, which are limited in Category 2 General Residential Areas, to create a downtown research and development (R&D) base and venture ecosystem for the future automobile industry.”

Hyundai Motor will build a future-oriented automobile and mobility research institute here. The existing building, which holds significance as Hyundai Motor’s ‘first’ service center, will be partially preserved (for historical conservation), and new workshops, R&D, and shared spaces will be constructed.

The building will have 3 basement levels and 6 above-ground floors, with a building area of 10,837.5 ㎥ and a total floor area of 57,400 ㎥. The building coverage ratio is 59.81% (legal limit under 60%), and the floor area ratio is 156.73% (legal limit under 200%). Parking capacity is 400 spaces (legal requirement 205 spaces).

Considering the use district (Historical and Cultural Special Landscape District), the building setback lines are planned to be 3 meters along Gangbyeonbuk-ro and 2 to 3 meters along Wonhyo-ro, with attention paid to lighting and ventilation to ensure a comfortable working environment.

Additionally, an open space directly connected to the Han River will be created, and the surrounding pedestrian environment will be improved.

After the public inspection announcement, the district will seek advice from the Joint Urban Architecture Committee and submit the plan to the Seoul Metropolitan Government by the end of the year.

The district unit plan system was developed in 2000 by progressively integrating the ‘urban design’ introduced in the 1980 Building Act and the ‘detailed plan’ introduced in the 1991 Urban Planning Act. It can be seen as a blueprint for regional development.

Seongjang Hyun, Mayor of Yongsan District, said, “The previously underdeveloped western area of Yongsan is transforming into a future industry hub and a new industrial complex cultural exchange space. The district will spare no administrative support to secure Seoul’s new growth engine.”

In addition to Wonhyo-ro 4-ga, the district is currently reorganizing the ‘Yongsan District Unit Plan,’ covering 3.43 million ㎥ from Bongnae-dong in Jung-gu to Hangang-ro in Yongsan-gu. The plan is divided into five zones: Seoul Station, Samgakji, Electronics Market, East side of Hangang-daero, and Maintenance Depot.

Key elements include the establishment of a special planning zone for Camp Kim and the Railway Hospital site, construction of east-west 3-axis and north-south 3-axis road networks within the international business district, undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Line, and restoration of Mancho Stream.

In particular, the district plans to utilize Camp Kim, one of the scattered sites in Yongsan Park (Complex Facility Development Zone), for strategic uses such as commercial, office, and cultural facilities, and to gradually restore Mancho Stream starting from the Han River adjacent area. This plan will be reviewed by the district’s Joint Urban Architecture Committee next month and submitted to the Seoul Metropolitan Government around November.

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