Ulsan pushes ahead with North Ulsan transit-oriented development project

Ulsan is moving ahead with a major transit-oriented development project in the city's northern district, with plans to build residential, commercial, industrial and public facilities around North Ulsan Station.

The city government announced Thursday that it had completed consultations with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on agricultural land suitability and would begin the process of lifting greenbelt restrictions on the project site.

Of the total project site, 822,728 square meters — or 93.2 percent — falls within the greenbelt zone, making the lifting of those restrictions the critical hurdle for the project. The agricultural land suitability consultation was a prerequisite for initiating the greenbelt removal process.

Ulsan has advanced the project through a series of administrative steps: establishing a master plan in August 2023, launching a greenbelt removal and strategic environmental impact assessment study in February 2024, and designating the area a land transaction permit zone in September 2024. After consultations with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs beginning in October 2024, the city received a response Tuesday confirming agricultural land suitability with no special conditions attached.

The city will next pursue preliminary consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and formally initiate the greenbelt removal process. The project timeline calls for the greenbelt designation to be lifted by 2027, an urban development zone designation and development plan to be finalized by 2028, land compensation and ground-breaking in 2029, and project completion by 2031.

The North Ulsan transit-oriented development project aims to transform an 883,086-square-meter site in the Songjeong-dong and Changpyeong-dong areas adjacent to North Ulsan Station into a mixed-use hub for the greater Ulsan metropolitan area, as part of the city's balanced urban development strategy. The total project cost is 665.7 billion won ($494 million), with Ulsan Urban Corporation serving as the project operator.

Within the project zone, public facilities will include the Ulsan Medical Center — a hospital specializing in children's treatment — and an express and intercity bus terminal; residential facilities will comprise 2,438 units of apartment and single-family housing; commercial facilities will feature transit-oriented retail; and an industrial complex dedicated to advanced mobility parts will also be developed. Together, these are expected to improve living conditions in the northern district and lay the groundwork for sustained growth. The Ulsan Medical Center is planned as a general hospital on a 24,803-square-meter site, with a total floor area of 31,170 square meters and 200 beds.

"We will work closely with relevant agencies to ensure the North Ulsan transit-oriented development project proceeds on schedule without disruption, and will faithfully carry out all remaining procedures," said Yun Deok-jung, director of the Ulsan city urban affairs bureau. "We will do our utmost to see this project completed as a new engine of growth that opens the future of the northern residential area and as a key hub driving balanced regional development."