Area around Godeok Station set for major overhaul as Line 9 extension arrives

Floor-area ratio limits and height restrictions in the commercial district of Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, are set to be eased. The changes come as the extension of subway Line 9 transforms Godeok Station into a transfer hub, with the city aiming to develop the area into a lifestyle and business center for eastern Gangdong. A 588-room tourist accommodation facility will be built at the Wangsimni intersection, while about 250 purchase-rental housing units for newlyweds and families with newborns will be supplied near Gonghang Market Station in Gangseo-gu.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that it approved — with modifications — a revision to the district-unit plan for the commercial land zone around 47 Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu at the 14th Joint Urban and Architecture Committee meeting held Wednesday. The site covers approximately 89,000 square meters and is the only commercial zone in eastern Gangdong, located adjacent to Godeok Station on Line 5.

Large-scale reconstruction projects in Myeongil-dong and the Godeok Biz Valley development are already underway nearby, and Godeok Station is slated to become a transfer station for both Line 5 and Line 9 once the extension is complete. Reflecting these changes, the city decided to develop the Myeongil-dong commercial zone into a mixed-use hub for daily life and business support.

Through the district-unit plan overhaul, the floor-area ratio for general commercial zones will rise to a base of 800 percent and an allowable ceiling of 880 percent. Building heights along major arterial corners will be permitted up to a base of 120 meters and a maximum of 160 meters, while interior lots will be allowed up to a base of 80 meters and a maximum of 110 meters. The cap on maximum development scale will also be abolished.

Incentives will also be introduced to encourage senior housing supply. Depending on the proportion of senior housing included, residential buildings will be permitted and an additional 80 percentage points of floor-area ratio will be granted, with height limits relaxed to the maximum allowable level. Taking into account medical tourism demand from Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital and office demand from Godeok Biz Valley, a tourism and accommodation special zone will be temporarily designated along Dongnam-ro.

A 588-room tourist accommodation facility will be built at the Wangsimni intersection in Seongdong-gu. The development, planned for a special planning zone near Wangsimni Station formerly occupied by a Cheil Bank site, will rise four floors below ground and 24 floors above.

Wangsimni Station is a major transit node served by four subway lines — Lines 2 and 5, the Gyeongui-Jungang Line and the Suin-Bundang Line. Despite this, Seongdong-gu has only five tourist accommodation facilities with a combined 205 rooms, which the city says is insufficient to meet growing demand.

The project site covers a land area of 1,495.87 square meters, with guest rooms occupying floors 3 through 23. The remaining floors will house ancillary facilities and parking. The plan also calls for creating publicly accessible open space connected to Wangsimni Culture Park, widening the sidewalk along Wangsimni-ro by 3 meters, and securing a dedicated stopping zone for tour buses as well as a public pedestrian pathway.

Near Gonghang Market Station in Gangseo-gu, an existing plan to build a knowledge industry center will be converted to a residential officetel development, supplying about 250 purchase-rental housing units. The site is close to Gonghang Market Station on Line 9 and sits in an area dense with low-rise residential buildings.

The building will span four floors below ground and 14 floors above. The units will be configured as purchase-rental housing for newlyweds and families with newborns, with exclusive use areas of 59 square meters and 62 square meters.

Publicly accessible open space will be created along Banghwa-dong-ro, with the setback area repurposed as a pedestrian walkway. A 4-meter-wide shared vehicle and pedestrian passage will be secured on the southern side to improve access to neighboring lots and enhance traffic flow on the back road.