Seoul approves reconstruction plans for 9,237 units across five districts

The Gaepouseong 1st and 2nd apartment complexes in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu will be rebuilt into a development of up to 49 stories and 1,603 units. A public pedestrian path connecting Nambusunhwan-ro to Yangjae Stream will run through the center of the complex.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it approved — with modifications — a plan to designate a reconstruction improvement zone and finalize the improvement plan for the Gaepouseong 1st and 2nd apartments at 503 Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, at the ninth Urban Planning Committee subcommittee meeting.

The improvement plan cleared the committee roughly 10 months after a fast-track integrated planning consultation began last October. The complexes sit adjacent to Dogok Station, served by subway Line 3 and the Suin-Bundang Line. The first complex was completed in 1983 and the second in 1984; together they currently stand at up to 15 stories and 1,140 units.

With this approval, the Gaepouseong complex becomes the last of the so-called "Useonmi" trio — shorthand for the Gaepouseong 1st and 2nd, Seongyeong 1st and 2nd, and Daechi Mido 1st and 2nd complexes — to join the Daechi-dong reconstruction drive. The Daechi Mido complexes finalized their improvement plan last year, and the Seongyeong complexes followed in May.

Other aging complexes in the Daechi-dong area have also been moving onto the reconstruction track. Eunma Apartment received project implementation approval last month, 30 years after its reconstruction preparatory committee was formed in 1996. The so-called "Usangsang" group — Daechi Useong 1st and Daechi KGM 1st and 2nd — is also accelerating its push. Daechi Useong 1st and Daechi KGM 2nd have passed their improvement plans through a combined reconstruction approach, while Daechi KGM 1st is pursuing an independent reconstruction and has selected Samsung C&T as its contractor.

Under the approved plan, of the total 1,603 units, 1,345 will be sold to general buyers and union members, while 258 will be designated as public housing. All 258 public housing units will be supplied as long-term jeonse housing, and half of those are slated to be made available as "Mirinaezip" affordable rental units.

The Guro Jugong apartment complex in Guro-gu will be rebuilt into a large development of up to 49 stories and 3,289 units. A relaxation of the floor-area ratio limit for quasi-industrial zones and the application of a project viability correction coefficient have put the long-stalled project back on track.

The Guro Jugong complex is an aging residential development located at 685-222 Guro-dong, Guro-gu. Completed in 1986, it currently comprises 2,126 units.

Since a proposal to draw up an improvement plan was submitted in 2020, the project had struggled with floor-area ratio restrictions in the quasi-industrial zone, difficulties incorporating separately designated lots containing commercial and religious facilities, and insufficient project viability.

Following a revision to the 2030 Urban and Residential Environment Improvement Master Plan in September last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government raised the quasi-industrial zone floor-area ratio from 250 percent to 400 percent and applied a project viability correction coefficient. The project then underwent a fast-track integrated planning consultation before the latest improvement plan decision gave it renewed momentum.

The city said it expects the project, once fully under way, to help expand housing supply for young people and newlyweds in the southwestern part of Seoul.

The Beondong Jugong 1st complex in Gangbuk-gu will be rebuilt into a large development of up to 42 stories and 2,084 units. As the first reconstruction project in the Beondong land development district, it is expected to accelerate housing supply in the northeastern part of Seoul.

The site is located at 242 Beondong, Gangbuk-gu — an aging residential complex built through the Beondong land development project in 1994. Under the approved improvement plan, the complex will be rebuilt from its current 1,430 units into a residential development of 2,084 units in total, including 119 public rental housing units.

Infrastructure in the surrounding area will also be upgraded. Adjacent parks and buffer green zones have been incorporated into the improvement zone for reorganization and redevelopment. Public facilities scattered around the complex — including a community service center, post office and police substation — will be consolidated in a single location through relocation. The city said the measures will improve land-use efficiency and strengthen administrative services in the area.

The Dohwa Useong apartment complex in Mapo-gu will be rebuilt into a residential development of up to 35 stories and 1,612 units. The plan also calls for a pedestrian corridor to improve access to the Han River and the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, as well as a safer school commute route to Mapo Elementary School.

Located at 82 Dohwa-dong, Mapo-gu, the Dohwa Useong complex is an aging residential development completed in 1991. Under the approved improvement plan, it will expand from 1,222 units to a total of 1,612 units, including 160 public housing units.

The improvement plan includes measures to enhance pedestrian access to the Han River and the Gyeongui Line Forest Park and to create a safe school commute route. Taking into account the existing commute path along the low-rise residential area to the north of the complex, the plan connects a main pedestrian axis linking the Han River, Mapo Elementary School and the Gyeongui Line Forest Park.

An aging low-rise residential area at 72 Sinwol 5-dong, Yangcheon-gu will be redeveloped into a residential complex of 649 units. Linked with a public redevelopment project at the adjacent 77 Sinwol 5-dong site, the broader area is expected to be reorganized into an open residential development of more than 1,890 units.

The site is a densely packed area of aging single-family and multi-unit homes with narrow roads that have long been flagged for redevelopment. Under the approved improvement plan, the zoning will be upgraded from first- and second-class general residential zones (seven-story limit) to second-class general residential zone. The total supply will be 649 units, of which 98 will be public rental housing.

The public rental units will include mid- to large-sized floor plans to reflect diverse housing needs. For-sale and public rental units will be arranged using a social mix approach. However, given height restrictions near Gimpo Airport, the maximum building height has been set at 57.86 meters above sea level, equivalent to roughly 14 stories.

Measures to improve project viability have also been applied. The project will reflect a viability correction coefficient of 2.0 under the 2030 Urban and Residential Environment Improvement Master Plan, raising the permitted floor-area ratio from 230 percent to 250 percent.