Jongno-gu plans to file for a maintenance plan decision and zone designation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, targeting a first-half 2027 announcement — the 37-year-old aging complex has found a path to reconstruction through the city's fast-track integrated planning process despite overlapping regulations including natural landscape and height-restriction zones
Jongno-gu is filing an application with the Seoul Metropolitan Government for a maintenance plan decision and zone designation for the reconstruction of Geumgang Heights Villa in Pyeongchang-dong, setting the stage for the rebirth of the 37-year-old complex.
The site, at 64-3 Pyeongchang-dong, is a 252-unit residential complex completed in 1989. Over the decades the buildings have deteriorated and basic infrastructure such as parking has grown inadequate, leaving residents to endure prolonged inconvenience.
Conditions for the project were far from easy. The Pyeongchang-dong area is subject to multiple overlapping urban planning regulations, including natural landscape and height-restriction zones, which have long raised the bar for housing redevelopment.
Jongno-gu found a way through by using the Seoul Metropolitan Government's fast-track integrated planning process. The district refined the framework of the maintenance plan through two rounds of advisory meetings, completed public notice and consultation periods, and coordinated with relevant departments and agencies. Residents' views were gathered at a public briefing, and the plan passed as originally proposed during a district council review.
The core of the proposed maintenance plan is an upzoning from a first-category general residential zone to a second-category general residential zone. The district is targeting a 299-unit complex with two below-ground floors and five to 12 above-ground floors, carefully calibrating the floor-area ratio and building plan to improve the residential environment while securing project viability at the same time.
The plan closely incorporates the Seoul Metropolitan Government's height-zone management standards and surrounding landscape considerations to create a pleasant residential environment in harmony with nature, with public interest and project viability kept in balance throughout the process.
The district plans to submit its application to the Seoul Metropolitan Government this month. If the project clears the city's review in the first half of 2027, the designation of the maintenance zone and the announcement of the maintenance plan decision will follow. The district intends to accelerate coordination with the city to ensure the review proceeds smoothly.
Jongno-gu District Mayor Yoo Chan-jong said the reconstruction project "is meaningful in improving the aging residential environment and enhancing the convenience of residents," adding that the district would "work closely with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to carry out the relevant procedures without a hitch and do its utmost to ensure a reasonable maintenance plan is drawn up that takes into account the area's characteristics and surrounding landscape."
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