Ichon-dong Bando Apartment Passes Detailed Safety Inspection
High Floor Area Ratio but Reconstruction Momentum Due to Regulatory Relaxation
Yongsan Hangang Riverside Skyline Change Expected
The Bando Apartments in Dongbu Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a 'traditional affluent neighborhood,' have confirmed reconstruction after 46 years since their completion. Although a floor area ratio exceeding 200% had hindered reconstruction, the path was opened thanks to the government's deregulation and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's abolition of the '35-floor height limit.' Once the reconstruction of Bando is completed following the nearby Hangang Mansion and Hangang Samik, the skyline along the Yongsan Han River area is expected to be completely renewed.
According to the maintenance industry on the 28th, Bando Apartments recently passed a detailed safety inspection with an E grade (42.92 points) and received final confirmation for reconstruction from Yongsan District Office.
Completed in 1977 along the Ichon Han River, this apartment complex consists of two buildings with a maximum of 12 floors and 199 households, making it a small-scale complex. Since the first luxury apartment targeting the middle class, Hangang Mansion, was built in Dongbu Ichon-dong in 1971, a boom of 'high-priced apartments' occurred, and Bando Apartments were built around the same time. The units consist only of large sizes: exclusive areas of 136㎡, 166A㎡, 167B㎡, and 197㎡. The neighboring Rex Apartments (completed in 1974) have already transformed through one-to-one reconstruction into Raemian Chellitus, the tallest apartment along the Han River with 56 floors.
Since around 2000, there had been attempts to promote reconstruction and remodeling of Bando Apartments, but the high floor area ratio of 214% was a stumbling block. However, after Mayor Oh's inauguration, the '2040 Seoul Urban Basic Plan' abolished the 35-floor height limit along the Han River, and the government eased reconstruction regulations, including safety inspections, revitalizing the momentum. A Yongsan District Office official explained, "In January this year, the Bando Apartment Reconstruction Promotion Preparation Committee requested a detailed safety inspection from Yongsan District, and final reconstruction was confirmed," adding, "The government's announcement of rationalization measures for reconstruction safety inspections and the relaxation of standards had a significant impact."
Besides Bando Apartments, complexes already pursuing reconstruction are accelerating their pace by making changes such as increasing the number of floors, thanks to deregulation. For example, Hangang Mansion received management disposition approval last year and recently submitted a maintenance plan amendment to Yongsan District Office to raise the number of floors from the existing 35 to 68.
Along with Bando Apartments, Hangang Samik and Wanggung Apartments, known as the three small-scale reconstruction complexes in Ichon-dong, have each obtained business implementation approval and association establishment approval, respectively, and are now on track. However, Hangang Samik faces conflicts among association members over contributions and views, and Wanggung Apartments have shifted from pursuing public reconstruction to private reconstruction, causing some fluctuations.
A maintenance industry official said, "Dongbu Ichon-dong is a prime example of a location blessed with natural surroundings, surrounded by the Han River to the south and Namsan to the north, and has been popular as a traditional affluent neighborhood since the 1970s," adding, "Once the reconstruction in this area is completed despite various obstacles, the Han River skyline is expected to undergo a revolutionary transformation."
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