On August 14th, the Samhwan Dobong Apartment in Dobong-gu, Seoul, was designated as a redevelopment zone. It is the first case in Seoul where the relaxed floor area ratio policy for semi-industrial areas was actually applied.
This designation is considered a representative case where regulatory easing, which coincided with the city’s change in the ‘Basic Plan for Urban and Residential Environment Improvement’, led to improved business feasibility. Samhwan Dobong will be redeveloped into a maximum of 42 floors with a total of 993 units, and the applied floor area ratio is 343.49%. The project will be pushed forward in a trust manner, with consent form procedures for appointing the business operator to follow.
Samhwan Dobong Apartment was the first to pass the reconstruction diagnosis (formerly safety diagnosis) in Dobong-gu, but the project was delayed due to low feasibility stemming from floor area ratio restrictions at that time.
Dobong-gu continued consultations with the central government to improve project feasibility. In July 2022, they officially proposed the relaxation of the floor area ratio for semi-industrial areas to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and sought a meeting with the minister. Subsequently, in January 2024, when the ‘Urban and Residential Environment Improvement Act’ was revised and implemented, the floor area ratio was expanded to 300%. In September of the same year, with changes to Seoul’s basic plan, it became possible to apply up to 400%.
Dobong-gu swiftly implemented the legal procedures such as applying for a fast-track integrated plan, consulting, public inspection by residents, briefing sessions, and listening to the opinions of the district council. After about a year and a half, it passed the deliberation of the Seoul City Planning Commission and reached the designation of the redevelopment zone.
Oh Won-seok, the mayor of Dobong-gu, stated, “Samhwan Dobong will serve as the first test case for regulatory relaxation in semi-industrial areas and a benchmark for Seoul’s redevelopment projects. We will successfully promote the project to become a model for others.”