Key to Solving Local Parking Shortage... "False Reports Damage District's Reputation"
Underground Parking Lot Site Is About 1/7 of Entire Park, Badminton Court and Walking Paths Remain Accessible
Guro District Office (District Mayor Moon Heon-il) has taken proactive steps to prevent the spread of some inaccurate information by providing thorough explanations regarding the construction of the underground public parking lot at Guro Street Park.
Earlier, on the 11th, the district held a ‘Resident Council for the Construction of the Underground Public Parking Lot at Guro Street Park’ at the district office, attended by city and district council members, relevant department officials, resident representatives in favor, resident representatives opposed, and experts, to discuss the necessity, justification, and appropriateness of constructing the underground parking lot.
Construction of Public Parking Lot: ‘Not a Choice but a Necessity’
The district stated, “Persistent parking difficulties occur around the project site at Street Park, including the densely populated residential area to the west, the shopping district around Street Park, and the northern International Food Culture Street. Currently, there are no public parking lots within 300 meters of the project site. Although two public parking lots, Guro 5-dong Village Public Parking Lot and Art Valley Underground Public Parking Lot, are operated at a distance, there are 108 people waiting to use them, with waiting periods exceeding 10 months, making the addition of public parking lots inevitable to alleviate parking difficulties.”
Complaints related to illegal parking have also frequently occurred due to this.
According to the district, complaints about illegal parking around major roads near Street Park were ▲723 cases in 2019 ▲798 in 2020 ▲637 in 2021 ▲476 in 2022 ▲511 in 2023, while enforcement actions during the same period were ▲5,041 in 2019 ▲3,757 in 2020 ▲2,526 in 2021 ▲2,384 in 2022 ▲2,061 in 2023.
Regarding this, the district explained, “The decrease in enforcement cases is due to the relaxation of enforcement after gathering opinions from small business owners, self-employed individuals, and residents amid the COVID-19 outbreak and prolonged economic downturn. Complaints about illegal parking have remained steady or increased, and with the rise of single-person households, parking difficulties are expected to worsen in the future.”
Alternative Site Proposals Are Practically Unfeasible for Parking Lot Construction
In response to the claim by Geosamo (Group Loving Street Park) that alternative sites other than Street Park should be found, the district said, “Street Park is city-owned land, so constructing an underground parking lot costs about 23 billion KRW in construction without land acquisition costs. In contrast, purchasing land in surrounding residential or commercial areas to build a parking lot would cost at least 17 billion KRW for 1,000㎡ of land acquisition alone, and over 33 billion KRW including construction costs. Therefore, the underground parking lot at Street Park is the most cost-effective option among ways to secure parking spaces.”
They added, “There is an opinion to expand parking spaces by investing district funds in the parking lot to be created through a donation method in the Gyeongnam Guro Apartment reconstruction project, but in that case, there would still be a shortage of public parking lots north of the project site centered on Street Park. From the perspective of appropriate regional distribution of parking spaces, constructing an underground parking lot at the centrally located Street Park is appropriate.”
A representative of the Gyeongnam Guro Apartment Association stated regarding the additional parking lot construction, “We have been promoting the reconstruction project for over 20 years since establishing the association in 2001, and if the project is delayed or the burden on association members increases due to parking issues at the relocation stage, we will respond strongly.”
Additionally, the district said, “Since Gyeongnam Guro Apartment is located in a densely populated residential area, considering accessibility and convenience, it does not align with the purpose of a public parking lot.”
The district also noted, “Even if there is available land to build a parking lot in residential areas, it is difficult to secure access roads due to narrow side streets. During construction, it would be difficult for construction vehicles to enter and exit narrow alleys, and after completion, hundreds of vehicles would pass daily, making it challenging to build a public parking lot in the middle of a residential area with many pedestrians, including children.”
Regarding this, a civil engineering and structural expert who participated in the resident council on the 11th said, “Street Park is a suitable location for construction. It is located on a main road, making it easy for construction vehicles to move, the site is spacious allowing faster progress, and if construction were to take place inside a residential area, there could be many accidents due to construction vehicle and equipment access issues. Traffic management plans are prepared during construction, and upon direct inspection, the road has three lanes one way and a sufficiently wide sidewalk, ensuring safety.”
The district explained, “Both domestically and internationally, one way to alleviate parking difficulties in densely populated residential areas while securing parking spaces at low cost is to construct underground parking lots in public facilities such as school playgrounds and parks. Public facility underground parking lots have the advantage of securing relatively large parking spaces with construction costs only, without land compensation costs. Concerns about risks during entry and exit after construction will be maximally reflected in the design to ensure safety.”
Furthermore, the district said, “The site proposed by Geosamo, the Guro District Residents’ Sports Center, began remodeling in 2018, with detailed design work currently underway and scheduled for completion in 2026. It is planned to have 17 parking spaces across 1 to 3 floors above ground, which is not suitable as an alternative site for the large-scale underground parking lot at Street Park.”
Geological Safety Around Street Park ‘No Issues’
Regarding Geosamo’s concerns about geological safety at Street Park, the district stated, “According to investigations conducted during the 1999 Guro Road Park road construction and the 2019 ground survey for the construction of the Narakeum Welfare Center, there are no issues hindering construction. A small-scale underground impact assessment will be conducted on the site, and appropriate earth retaining and waterproofing methods will be selected to safely proceed with construction.”
Underground Parking Lot Construction Site Is 1/7 of Entire Park... Remaining Park Remains Usable
The district also addressed concerns about maintaining park green space, which accounts for the majority of complaints related to the underground parking lot construction.
The district said, “Although parks are often perceived as better when they have many or old trees, many older parks lack planned tree selection at the time of establishment and often lack systematic tree management afterward. For Street Park, which is over 20 years old, it is necessary to remove hazardous trees and improve park quality by leveraging the space’s characteristics.”
Specifically, “The underground parking lot construction site within Street Park covers 3,620㎡ out of the total 25,920㎡, about one-seventh. During construction, most other facilities such as the badminton court and walking paths will remain usable. After construction, detailed park facility installation plans, including clay paths and new sports facilities, will be developed based on residents’ opinions.”
They added, “Only 244 out of 1,503 trees (main trees) within the construction site will be affected, which is a very small portion, mostly consisting of old or poorly shaped trees. We will maximize the use of existing trees to avoid unnecessary waste, reflecting residents’ opinions. Trees to be removed before construction will be identified in advance, and only those absolutely necessary will be removed. Trees with landscape value will be transplanted to parks and green spaces within Guro District.”
The district continued, “Aiming for sustainable garden creation, we will preserve the unique features of Street Park and plant differentiated and easy-to-manage trees to provide a safer and more pleasant green ecological space.”
Claims that park green space could be damaged by vehicle exhaust from underground parking lot users were refuted by citing existing facilities such as ▲Guro-ri Children’s Park (established in 2003, total 203 spaces) and ▲Gocheok Neighborhood Park (established in 2015, total 199 spaces) as concrete evidence.
False Report on Favoritism Allegations Regarding S Church Jiseongjeon, Not True
The district also denied reports alleging favoritism related to S Church’s Jiseongjeon.
The district stated, “The underground public parking lot project at Street Park was first proposed in the 2015 ‘2030 Seoul Living Area Plan’ resident participation workshop and began to be promoted after 122 members of the Guro 5-dong Resident Countermeasure Committee submitted a collective petition to Guro District Office requesting parking lot construction in 2018.”
Subsequently, the project underwent a feasibility study in October 2020, followed by ▲verification of the feasibility study from March to July 2021 ▲basic plan establishment in July 2021 ▲central investment review in 2021 ▲mid-term local finance plan and local finance impact assessment in November 2021, and was selected in August 2023 for the 2024 Seoul City Residential Area Shared Parking Lot Subsidy Project.
The district confirmed, “The S Church Jiseongjeon reported in the media signed a real estate sales contract for a building near Street Park in January 2024, well after the project began. Therefore, the report is a clear falsehood that has severely damaged Guro District’s reputation.”
“Majority Residents’ Opinions Should Not Be Overshadowed by Opposition from Specific Groups”
They also expressed serious concern about specific groups spreading unfounded facts and leading opposition movements based on them, urging, “To satisfy residents’ right to know and eradicate fake news, please refrain from reporting that distorts facts or spreads inaccurate information based on unfounded speculation.”
Finally, the district added, “Due to opposition from specific groups, the opinions of the majority of residents who support this long-awaited project are being overshadowed. We need to move forward in a way that narrows differences and promotes regional development, rather than opposing for the sake of opposition.”
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