Jung-gu and Residents' Communication Culmination, Namsan Height District Easing 'Imminent'

Jung-gu, Namsan Area Height District Reorganization (Draft) Re-Announcement
Urban Management Plan Decision (Change) (Draft) Announced on the 29th of Last Month, Resident Re-Announcement Until the 14th
Jung-gu Reflects Significant Portions of Resident Feedback Submitted in July Last Year
Absolute Height Limit Relaxed by 4m, Additional Height Regulation Relaxation for Remodeling or Maintenance Projects
Jung-gu to Continue Supplementing by Actively Submitting Opinions to Seoul City After Further Resident Feedback Collection

Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) announced that following Seoul City's re-notification of the 'Urban Management Plan (Land Use District: Height District) Decision (Change) (Draft)' for the redevelopment of the new height district around Namsan on the 29th of last month, it will re-open the plan for public viewing and collect opinions from residents until the 14th.

This re-notification follows the first review by the Seoul City Urban Planning Committee on January 17, which identified changes to the originally announced plan. It is intended to inform residents of these changes. This process is in accordance with Article 28 (Hearing Opinions of Residents and Local Councils) of the National Land Planning and Utilization Act and Article 8 (Designation of Areas and Districts) of the Basic Act on Land Use Regulation, which require re-examination and opinion collection when changes occur.

The revised draft incorporates significant parts of the proposals submitted by Jung-gu to Seoul City last July after gathering residents' opinions, including ▲withdrawal of conditional relaxations applied to parts of Hoehyeon-dong and Dasan-dong ▲establishment of relief measures for buildings constructed before the height district designation ▲additional height relaxations during redevelopment projects.

According to the revised approval draft for the height district reorganization, the height regulation standards within the landscape protection area will be further relaxed. Areas currently regulated at heights of 12m and 20m will be eased to between 16m and 40m depending on the district, with further relaxation possible through landscape guidelines and review.

In the original redevelopment plan, Seoul City proposed relaxing height regulations for Type 1 and 2 general residential areas from the existing 12-20m to 16-28m, and for semi-residential areas from 20m up to 40m, applying 'conditional relaxation' to some parts of Type 1 and 2 general residential areas in Hoehyeon-dong and Dasan-dong. This meant that if certain criteria were met, the Urban Planning Committee could approve an increase of up to 8m. However, as this was seen as unfair across regions, Jung-gu requested an unconditional 'absolute height increase of 8m.' In response, Seoul City adjusted the plan to allow an absolute height increase of 4m, with the possibility of further relaxation up to 20m and 28m respectively through urban planning review if the building is lower than adjacent lots.

Additionally, Seoul City added provisions to relax floor limits within the scope allowed by the Housing Act for apartments built before the height district designation that exceed height restrictions when undergoing remodeling.

Accordingly, apartments with 14 floors or fewer that have passed 15 years since their approval date can add up to two floors during remodeling. The targeted apartment complexes are located in eight areas around Hoehyeon-dong, Pildong, and Jangchung-dong.

Furthermore, during redevelopment projects within the height district around Namsan, height regulations can be further relaxed up to 45m through landscape guidelines and review. This applies to station areas (transit-oriented development zones centered on public transportation nodes) located within 250m of platform boundaries, which are designated as district centers or higher within Seoul City's central system.

This opens the door for additional relaxation benefits for Hoehyeon-dong, Myeong-dong, Pildong, and Jangchung-dong. However, Dasan-dong, which is excluded from this target, will be requested to be included in the relaxation measures for redevelopment projects to improve its deteriorated residential environment, reflecting residents' opinions.

Over the past year and a half, Jung-gu has closely communicated with residents to collaboratively draft the blueprint for relaxing the Namsan height district. Since early last year, efforts have focused on gathering opinions through resident surveys, multiple explanatory meetings, and public forums.

In early February this year, three on-site resident briefing sessions were held, and the main contents of the Namsan height restriction relaxation, which was revised and approved by the Seoul City Urban Planning Committee in January, along with future plans, were shared.

Detailed information on the revised draft can be found on the Seoul City Urban Planning Portal's Notices and Announcements board or can be viewed directly at Jung-gu's Urban Redevelopment Strategy Promotion Team.

If there are any opinions, they can be submitted to the Seoul City Urban Planning Division or Jung-gu Urban Redevelopment Strategy Promotion Team by the 14th.

After this re-notification, Seoul City plans to report to the City Urban Planning Committee and decide and announce the 'Urban Management Plan (Land Use District: Height District) Decision (Change) (Draft)' within the first half of the year.

Jung-gu is also actively preparing follow-up measures related to the height restriction relaxation, including providing expert pre-design services so residents can tangibly understand how much and in what way they can build higher.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, stated, "The efforts over the past year and a half, running alongside residents toward relaxing the Namsan height restrictions, are about to bear fruit. We will continue to improve any shortcomings so that residents who have lived in properties with restricted property rights and aging housing for the past 30 years can live in more comfortable and safer places."

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