Seoul City Takes Bold Step with 'Sintong Planning Processing Deadline System' Introduction
Yeouido Pilot, Re-Notification of Maintenance Plan Changes Underway
Increase in Demand for Elderly Welfare Facilities Expected to Boost Adoption
The Yeouido Sibeom Apartment, which had been in conflict with the Seoul Metropolitan Government for over a year regarding the construction of a senior welfare facility (daycare center) as a public contribution, has finally entered the re-notification procedure for the designation of the maintenance zone. This is the result of Seoul City’s strong stance to specify the designation period for the Shintong Planning project area as ‘2 years’ and to cancel the project if this is not met. It is expected that the number of apartments contributing senior welfare facilities as public contributions will increase.
Senior Welfare Facility Will Ultimately Be Built
The Yeongdeungpo District Office conducted a re-notification on the 14th for the ‘Yeouido Sibeom Apartment Reconstruction Project Maintenance Plan Decision, Maintenance Zone Designation (Draft), and District Unit Plan Decision (Draft).’
The main point of the maintenance plan under re-notification is to build a senior welfare facility as a public contribution. The plan includes the statement, “A social welfare facility will be newly established to respond to the increasing demand for senior welfare due to the rising proportion of the elderly population.” The senior welfare facility will belong to Yeongdeungpo District, and the district office will be responsible for its operation and management. It is planned to be from basement level 1 to the 4th floor above ground, with a total floor area of 2,332㎡. The Yeouido Sibeom Apartment union has agreed to contribute not only the senior welfare facility but also cultural facilities and a multi-level pedestrian walkway as public contributions.
The Yeouido Sibeom Apartment applied for Shintong Planning in November 2021 and had it confirmed in November 2022, one year later. The maintenance plan decision draft was approved with modifications at the Seoul City Urban Planning Committee review in October last year. However, residents opposed the construction of the daycare center, and the official decision announcement was delayed for over a year.
In response to residents’ opposition, Mayor Oh Se-hoon strongly criticized in August, saying, “While trying to speed up reconstruction through the Shintong Planning, selfish behavior that ignores the essential obligation to maintain public interest is never desirable,” and “Without the daycare center, there is no Shintong Planning.” Subsequently, Seoul City and Yeongdeungpo District requested the union to supplement the maintenance plan last month, and the re-notification was carried out about a month later.
Seoul City’s introduction last month of the ‘Shintong Planning Step-by-Step Processing Deadline System’ also acted as pressure on the union. This system was created to shorten the period for designating maintenance zones to two years after selecting the Shintong Planning target site. It sets deadlines for each stage: advisory and result notification (1 month), resident notification (2 months), submission to the Urban Planning Committee after Shintong Planning completion (2 months), and official announcement of the maintenance plan decision (3 months). If the next stage cannot proceed according to the criteria, the Shintong Planning process is canceled. The city requested the apartment union to supplement the modified approval opinion by December 30 and to proceed with the official announcement of the maintenance plan decision.
Daycare Center Adoption Expected to Increase
As demand for senior welfare facilities increases, it is expected that not only the Sibeom Apartment but also other complexes will see more cases of adoption. Although there was opposition from union members, the Jinhung Apartment in Seocho District is also pushing for a maintenance plan change to include a daycare center as a public contribution facility. The Yeouido Daegyo Apartment, which was the first to receive Shintong Planning advisory, confirmed the senior welfare facility as a public contribution facility and passed the Urban Planning Committee review last August, 11 months after starting the advisory.
Meanwhile, Yeouido Sibeom Apartment currently has 1,584 households, but after reconstruction, it will increase to 2,473 households (up to 65 floors, including 343 rental housing units). The number of households by exclusive area is 308 units of 59㎡, 1,181 units of 84㎡, 404 units of 103㎡, 383 units of 128㎡, 135 units of 154㎡, 56 units of 178㎡, and 6 units of 200㎡.
The estimated proportional rate of Yeouido Sibeom Apartment is 95.44%. A union member owning a 60㎡ (18-pyeong) exclusive area in Sibeom Apartment will receive about KRW 85 million in refunds when receiving a 59㎡ unit after reconstruction, while a member owning 79㎡ will have to pay KRW 232 million in contributions when receiving an 84㎡ unit. The union member sale price was calculated at less than 80% of KRW 75 million per 3.3㎡. However, the pre-existing asset value is an estimated amount based on actual transaction prices and may differ depending on the appraisal results conducted at the time of the official project implementation approval announcement.
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