Cheongpa-dong becomes 200th site under Seoul's fast-track planning scheme, anchoring 8,000-unit residential belt

An area around 97-35 Cheongpa-dong 1-ga in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, will be redeveloped into a residential complex of up to 25 floors and approximately 1,280 units — the 200th site to have its plan finalized since the city introduced its fast-track integrated planning scheme. The Seoul Metropolitan Government envisions linking the project with nearby fast-track redevelopment initiatives in the Cheongpa, Gongdeok and Seo-gye neighborhoods to create a residential zone of roughly 8,000 units.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that it had finalized the fast-track integrated redevelopment plan for the site. Located west of Seoul Station, the area developed as a residential neighborhood behind the station in the 1970s. Although it sits near Seoul Station, Sookmyung Women's University, Sukdae Ipgu Station, Cheongpa Elementary School and Hyochang Park, the area has long been criticized for deteriorating living conditions caused by hilly terrain and narrow roads, as well as poor connectivity with surrounding neighborhoods.

Under the plan, land currently zoned as first-category and second-category general residential (up to seven floors) will be upgraded to second-category general residential. The floor-area ratio will be capped at 250 percent, with building heights of up to around 25 floors, yielding a supply of approximately 1,280 units. Measures to improve project viability — including adjustments based on the current floor-area ratio and a project-feasibility correction factor — will also be applied. The final height and unit count, however, will be confirmed during the formal district improvement plan process.

Several other fast-track integrated planning projects are already under way in the surrounding area, including Cheongpa Zone 2, Gongdeok Zones 7 and 8, and the integrated Seo-gye-dong zone. Cheongpa Zone 2 was designated a redevelopment district in October 2024, while Gongdeok Zones 8 and 7 received the same designation in May of that year. The integrated Seo-gye-dong zone completed its district designation in April 2025. The city plans to link all five fast-track projects across the Seo-gye, Gongdeok and Cheongpa-dong area — including the newly confirmed Cheongpa-dong 1-ga site — to build a residential zone of roughly 8,000 units.

An integrated park connecting to the green space planned for Cheongpa Zone 2 will be created on the northern side of the site, with a separate park on the southern side. Vehicle access routes will be secured by linking to roads planned in Cheongpa Zones 1 and 2, while the central road through the complex will be built as a multi-level road to integrate underground parking, improving overall land-use efficiency.

A pedestrian network connecting the site to Sookmyung Women's University, Cheongpa Elementary School and Sukdae Ipgu Station will also be established. Given an elevation difference of roughly 40 meters across the site, walkway gradients will be eased and vertical mobility facilities such as elevators will be installed. Open community facilities for local users — including university students and children — will be built near Sookmyung Women's University and Cheongpa Elementary School, and multi-generational housing units will be introduced to meet the independent living needs of students and others.

The complex layout will also be designed to preserve views of Namsan. Residential buildings will be positioned to allow Namsan to be seen from both inside and outside the complex, and a visual corridor linked to the Cheongpa Zone 2 park will be secured. Buildings near schools and existing low-rise residential areas will be kept shorter to create a skyline that blends with the surrounding neighborhood.

With the Cheongpa-dong 1-ga site now confirmed, the total number of sites finalized under the fast-track integrated planning scheme — introduced in September 2021 — has reached 200. There are currently 314 designated fast-track sites in total. The city expects the five fast-track projects across the Seo-gye, Gongdeok and Cheongpa-dong area, including this site, to deliver roughly 8,000 units.

The site was selected as a fast-track planning candidate in April 2025, and the city plans to begin the formal district improvement plan process next month.

"The five fast-track integrated planning projects around the Seo-gye, Gongdeok and Cheongpa-dong area will supply about 8,000 housing units while also improving transportation, pedestrian access and parks in the surrounding area," said Kim Chang-gyu, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Urban Space Bureau. "We will actively support the area so it can grow into a premier residential neighborhood at the heart of the city."