Mayor Oh Se-hoon Briefed Directly at City Hall Last Month on Changdong Vehicle Depot Corporate Presentation... Oh Seung-rok, Nowon District Mayor, Expressed Gratitude to Mayor Oh for Advancing Projects During Visits to the U.S. and Others... Oh Eon-seok, Dobong District Mayor, Announced Last Year at Mayor Oh's Invitation the Lifting of Height Restrictions in Bukhansan Area
Mayor Oh Se-hoon is giving a briefing in person at the Changdong Vehicle Depot corporate presentation last month.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Nowon District Mayor Oh Seung-rok, and Dobong District Mayor Oh Eon-seok, collectively known as the ‘Oh Trio’ of the 8th local government, are drawing attention for playing a major role in the development of northern Seoul.
Mayor Oh has shown great enthusiasm for developing the underdeveloped northern Seoul areas such as Nowon, Dobong, Gangbuk, and Jungnang districts by announcing the Gangbuk Grand Renovation Plan. Meanwhile, Nowon District (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is also putting strong efforts into the development of the Changdong Vehicle Depot, which it is actively promoting.
Nowon District has set a major administrative goal to transform from a bedroom community of Seoul into a self-sufficient city by creating the ‘Seoul Nowon Biomedical Cluster (SN-BMC, hereafter Biomedical Complex)’ on the 247,000㎡ site of the Changdong Vehicle Depot and Dobong Driver’s License Test Site, a project that has been underway since 2019.
To this end, Mayor Oh Seung-rok of Nowon District visited the Korean American Biomedical Industry Council (KABIC) in the Boston area of the United States last March, where experts signed an agreement to promote the project.
The district has ambitious plans to attract institutions such as Seoul National University Hospital to establish a bio-cluster here.
Mayor Oh Se-hoon personally briefed on the Changdong Vehicle Depot development project... Oh Seung-rok expresses gratitude
Meanwhile, on the 27th of last month, Mayor Oh personally briefed at the ‘Changdong Vehicle Depot Area S-DBC (Seoul-Digital Bio City) Corporate Briefing Session’ held at Seoul City Hall, stating, “After relocating the Changdong Vehicle Depot, we will draw a plan for the vacant land from scratch according to what companies want,” adding, “This is the first time Seoul City has prepared such a groundbreaking development project.” The briefing was attended by 130 people from 81 companies, including mid-sized firms in future industries such as digital bio and healthcare. Mayor Oh emphasized, “Previously, Seoul City used a top-down approach by designating uses and then selling land, but now, starting from this corporate briefing, we will identify companies’ demands and discuss their specific needs to prepare and supply customized solutions.”
Mayor Oh also presented a plan to reduce public contributions by half if the Changdong Vehicle Depot complex site is upgraded to a commercial zone through the White Site system. The complex site will allow flexible use, height, and density, with a 1.2 times increase in floor area ratio. For commercial zones, the floor area ratio will increase from 800% to 960%. Mayor Oh said, “If upgraded to a commercial zone, Seoul City usually demands substantial public contributions, but we will not do so here. We will practically return benefits to tenant companies,” adding, “By introducing the White Site system, we will discuss with companies and fully accommodate their needs regarding height, floor area ratio, and use.”
In response, Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon District, said, “I have traveled extensively both domestically and internationally to promote the bio-complex.” He continued, “The Changdong Vehicle Depot area, where the bio-complex will be established, is seeing significant improvements in transportation infrastructure such as the GTX-C line, Dongbuk light rail, and the undergrounding of the Dongbu arterial road. It also boasts educational advantages as it includes Junggye-dong, one of Seoul’s top three school districts, and offers excellent leisure and convenience facilities utilizing its natural environment, making it an ideal place for young employees to raise children,” expressing hope that many companies will move into the bio-complex through active consideration. He added, “I would like to once again thank Mayor Oh Se-hoon for organizing today’s corporate briefing and promise that Nowon District will actively cooperate with the Gangbuk Grand Renovation Project.”
Additionally, on the 22nd of last month at 3 p.m., Mayor Oh of Nowon District signed a tripartite business agreement among Seoul City, Nowon District, and Hyundai Development Company at Seoul City Hall to facilitate the smooth progress of the Gwangwoon University Station area development project.
The Gwangwoon University Station area development project is a large-scale complex development transforming an old logistics site that caused dust and noise pollution into a new northeastern economic hub with premium residential complexes up to 49 stories high and job creation opportunities.
The site was selected as a preliminary negotiation target for Seoul City’s urban planning change in 2009. However, the project faced difficulties such as two failed private developer bids due to land acquisition costs, permit burdens, and excessive project costs. The unauthorized occupation protest by dockworkers demanding alternative jobs and compensation at the Gwangwoon University Station logistics site, which ceased operations at the end of 2020, was also a major challenge.
Nowon District and Seoul City plan to relocate Hyundai Development Company’s headquarters to this site.
Dobong District Mayor Oh Eon-seok is so close to Mayor Oh Se-hoon that he calls him “uncle”
Dobong District Mayor Oh Eon-seok is known to be so close to Mayor Oh Se-hoon that he calls him “uncle.”
For Mayor Oh, who was elected as the Dobong District Mayor at the northernmost part of Gangbuk for the first time in decades as a candidate from the conservative People Power Party, Mayor Oh Eon-seok is recognized as a political junior who is moving swiftly for regional development.
Last year, Mayor Oh gave a significant gift to Mayor Oh Eon-seok.
On June 30th last year at 11 a.m., Dobong District (Mayor Oh Eon-seok) invited Mayor Oh Se-hoon to the area around Ssangmun-dong’s height restriction zone to explain the current status and local difficulties of the height restriction zone near Bukhansan Mountain. Seoul City then announced the ‘New Height Restriction Zone Plan’ easing restrictions around Bukhansan Mountain.
This announcement is expected to turn on a green light for the property rights of Dobong residents who have suffered from height restrictions for the past 33 years.
According to the Seoul City announcement, the maximum building height for individual buildings will be relaxed to 28 meters or less, allowing an increase of 2 to 3 floors. For buildings constructed through redevelopment projects, up to 15 floors will be allowed if landscape management guidelines are followed. Additionally, the first-class general residential area, which overlaps with the height restriction zone, will be managed as a zoning area by lifting the height restriction zone.
This is expected to accelerate various housing maintenance projects such as reconstruction and redevelopment in the height restriction zone areas where project feasibility was previously hindered by building height regulations.
Dobong District’s total area is 50% development-restricted zone and 50% livable area, of which 11% (about 350,000 pyeong) was subject to height restriction zone limitations. These areas, including Dobong 1-dong, Banghak 2 and 3-dong, and Ssangmun 1-dong adjacent to Bukhansan Mountain, cover 1.163㎢ and have been designated and managed as height restriction zones since 1990, severely restricting even minimal development and causing serious residential aging.
Since the launch of the 8th local government, Mayor Oh Eon-seok of Dobong District has pointed out the irrationality of height restrictions, stating, “81.4% of buildings in the height restriction zone are over 20 years old, and infrastructure such as roads and parking lots is insufficient, resulting in poor residential environments.” He has made easing and lifting height restrictions a top priority and argued that “height restriction easing is essential for smooth reconstruction and redevelopment projects due to the district’s location in the Bukhansan area.”
To implement this, Mayor Oh made easing height restrictions the highest priority immediately after the 8th local government took office, preparing a ‘Rational Management Plan for Height Restriction Zones’ at the Dobong District level. He has shown the district’s will and efforts through meetings with Mayor Oh Se-hoon, joint response meetings with Gangbuk District Mayor on height restriction easing, and submitting petitions signed by about 39,000 residents requesting lifting of height restrictions.
As a result of these efforts, Seoul City announced the ‘New Height Restriction Zone Plan’ to shift from rigid regulation to rational management of height restriction zones. The plan aims to complete the reorganization of height restriction zones within this year through follow-up procedures such as public and city council opinion hearings and urban planning committee reviews.
Mayor Oh Eon-seok of Dobong District said, “The easing of height restrictions, a long-standing wish of residents, was possible because residents and Dobong District united in their desire and efforts to improve the residential environment,” adding, “We will use the easing of height restrictions as an opportunity to revitalize reconstruction and redevelopment, improve the district’s aging residential environment, and return the previously restricted property rights to residents.”
Mayors Oh Seung-rok of Nowon District and Oh Eon-seok of Dobong District also share a connection as they both served as secretaries to former mayors Choi Seon-gil of Nowon and Dobong districts.
Thus, the ‘Oh Trio’?Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Mayor Oh Seung-rok of Nowon, and Mayor Oh Eon-seok of Dobong?are expected to play a major role as key figures transforming northern Seoul areas such as Nowon and Dobong districts.
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