A 35-Story Mixed-Use Facility and Green Space to Be Built in Chungmuro Station Sewoon District

A 35-story mixed-use facility and open green space will be created near Chungmuro Station in the Sewoon district of Seoul.

Perspective view of the office facilities to be built in Sewoon 6-4-22·23 Redevelopment Promotion Zone. [Image provided by Seoul City]

On the 19th, Seoul held the 8th Urban Redevelopment Committee meeting and announced on the 20th that it had approved a revised version of the “Sewoon 6-4-22·23 Redevelopment Promotion Zone Redevelopment Promotion Plan (Amendment).”

The target site had been progressing under a business implementation permit within the Sewoon Redevelopment Promotion Zone, but the plan was amended to introduce open green spaces to realize Seoul’s green ecological urban center.

According to the plan, the floor area ratio was set at up to 1164%, and the height was limited to 167 meters or less. The building coverage ratio was reduced from 60% to 50% or less to maximize open space above ground. Accordingly, an open green space of 2,054㎡, accounting for about 44% of the site area, will be established.

Additionally, a 35-story office building will be constructed on the site. The first floor will feature a comfortable and open corridor with a height of 7 meters, and a 14-meter-high stepped rest area and low-rise neighborhood living facilities will be connected to the open green space to create an open area accessible to citizens.

The city expects that the amendment to the redevelopment promotion plan will supply abundant green spaces along the Jongmyo to Toegye-ro area, along with large-scale office facilities, revitalizing the downtown economy.

On the same day, the committee also approved a revised version of the “Gajaeul District Unit Plan Decision (Amendment).”

The “Gajaeul area” near Gajwa Station on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line is expected to be reborn with public parking lots, daycare centers, and other essential community infrastructure and new facilities, shedding its over 40-year-old deteriorated environment.

Location map of Gajaeul Redevelopment Promotion District. [Image provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]

This decision was made to resolve long-standing regulatory issues and improve conditions for new construction to foster the creation and revitalization of the “Gajwa Station area” as a central district, as local conditions are gradually changing with the recent completion of apartment development projects in the Gajaeul Redevelopment Promotion Zone (Namgajwa-dong 104-11 area, Seodaemun-gu).

In particular, although this area is designated as a “district center area” under the city’s basic plan and is zoned for commercial and semi-residential use, it is densely populated with small-scale low-rise neighborhood living facilities, and about 64% of the buildings were constructed before 1980, making urgent redevelopment necessary.

With this committee decision, the height restriction in the commercial area along Susaek-ro has been relaxed from 100 meters to 150 meters, and block-level development conditions have been abolished. For developments over 800㎡, a floor area ratio of 630?660% will be granted. To improve conditions for new construction, the uniform lot planning that had previously restricted development has been eased to allow autonomous development of plots, minimizing joint development regulations.

Through this, the special planning zone (3BL, urban environment improvement project), which had been stalled for 16 years, can now be released from the zone and developed independently, reflecting local opinions. A public parking lot with 77 spaces covering a total floor area of 4,355㎡ and a daycare center will be built here.

Furthermore, in the Susaek-ro 2-gil food alley area, the building coverage ratio will be raised from 60% to 70% considering the lot sizes. Parking space requirements will also be relaxed to support the redevelopment of old buildings, and a pedestrian-centered streetscape design plan will be established to revitalize the alleyways.

Han Byung-yong, Director of Seoul’s Housing Policy Office, said, “Through this committee, not only will the area around Gajwa Station be revitalized as a transit hub, but the improvement of deteriorated conditions and the construction of various community facilities will make residents’ lives more comfortable and convenient. We will actively support smooth project implementation so that residents of the Gajaeul area can live in an improved environment as soon as possible.”