Incheon City Purchases Vacant Houses in Old Downtown to Develop Infrastructure Such as Parking Lots and Parks

by Park Haesook

Published 03 Jul.2023 10:04(KST)

Incheon City will purchase vacant houses in the old downtown area and convert them into parking lots, parks, and other facilities.

The city announced on the 3rd that it will hold a public contest for the 'Vacant House Purchase Pilot Project' to select target sites for purchasing vacant houses and to discover project plans.

Vacant houses that have been neglected for a long time pose risks such as structural collapse and safety accidents, and they can also become high-crime areas, making improvement urgent. However, renovating vacant houses requires negotiations with the owners, which usually take 3 to 5 years, making it difficult to accelerate the revitalization of the old downtown area.

Accordingly, the city plans to efficiently renovate vacant houses in the old downtown area through the vacant house purchase project, expand infrastructure, prevent safety accidents, and improve the residential environment.

As a pilot project, the city will first accept proposals for the use of vacant houses from owners, residents' councils, and district offices until the 28th, and plans to select about three sites for purchase.

The purchase targets are vacant houses and their attached land as defined by the 'Special Act on the Maintenance of Vacant Houses and Small-scale Housing.' The city will comprehensively evaluate the age of the vacant houses, regional connectivity, and project feasibility through a review committee.

An official from Incheon City stated, "The selected sites will be developed into old downtown infrastructure such as parking lots, parks, and disaster prevention facilities after purchasing the vacant houses and land," adding, "We will provide administrative and financial support to install facilities needed by the community to improve the residential environment."