[Weekly File] Gwangju City and City Council Clash Over 'Floor Area Ratio Increase Ordinance'

Urban Planning Ordinance Amendment Passed on the 12th
Central Commercial FAR Raised from 400% to 540%
Gwangju City: Policy Reverses Progress, Worsens Residential Environment
Council: Downtown Revitalization Through Proximity of Work and Home
Mayor Kang Exercises Reconsideration Request for First Time in 7 Years
"Consensus Needed Through Public Debate and Rational Discussion"

Gwangju City Hall building exterior.

Gwangju City and the city council are struggling to narrow their differences over a proposed ordinance amendment to increase the floor area ratio (FAR) in central commercial areas such as Chungjang-ro and Sangmu District.

The city and the council are at odds, with the city arguing that the amendment could worsen residential environments and intensify unsold housing issues, while the council claims it could help revitalize aging downtown areas. The conflict has deepened, with Mayor Kang Gijung exercising his veto for the first time in seven years.

Especially since this ordinance is directly linked to urban decline, there are calls for consensus through rational procedures such as public debates and gathering expert and resident opinions. However, concerns are also being raised that political calculations among council members may come into play ahead of next year’s local elections.

◇ Key Points of the FAR Increase Ordinance Amendment

According to Gwangju City and the city council on the 21st, the “Gwangju City Urban Planning Ordinance Amendment” passed the city council’s plenary session on the 12th.

The amendment raises the FAR for residential use (residential complexes and quasi-residential lodging facilities) in commercial areas from the current maximum of 400% to 540% in central commercial districts, an increase of 140%. FAR is the ratio of a building’s total floor area to the size of its plot; a higher FAR allows for taller and denser buildings on limited land. For example, a plot that could previously accommodate 100 units could now hold around 130 units under the new ratio.

Commercial areas are generally divided into central, general, neighborhood, and distribution commercial districts. Central commercial areas serve as urban and sub-urban centers and business hubs, including Chungjang-ro, Geumnam-ro, Sangmu District, and parts of Cheomdan District in Gwangju. The FAR for central commercial areas in Gwangju was previously capped at 600%, but was lowered to 400% in 2019.

The city council believes securing a residential population is essential to revitalize declining central commercial areas, and that this ordinance could be a partial solution. Their reasoning is that if the “ghost town” phenomenon?where people flock in during the day but the area is deserted at night?is left unchecked, the entire commercial and business district will lose vitality.

The council sees “securing a residential population” as the core of downtown revitalization. If only commercial and business functions exist, the floating population increases temporarily during the day, limiting revitalization. They also point out that although Gwangju’s housing supply rate is 105%, the proportion of households without homes is 42%, and the number of one- or two-person households preferring proximity between work and home is rising.

◇ "Contradicts Housing Policy" vs. "Revitalizes Aging Downtown"

After the ordinance passed the council, Gwangju City raised concerns about deteriorating residential environments, increased unsold housing, preferential treatment, and lack of public interest, putting it at odds with the council.

The city issued a statement on the 13th, saying, “The council unilaterally passed a partial amendment to the urban planning ordinance, expanding the residential FAR in central commercial areas from 400% to 540%, in response to persistent demands from the Korea Housing Builders Association and others. We propose a public debate on whether it is appropriate to introduce such an experimental system for citizens.”

The city continued, “Many experts and environmental groups worry that increasing the FAR will worsen residential environments and intensify the unsold apartment crisis, causing significant social costs. We have repeatedly and consistently pointed out these problems and the unfairness of the ordinance. Even during the council’s Industrial and Construction Committee deliberations, we strongly disagreed, but the ordinance was passed regardless.”

On the other hand, the council responded, “If the city disagrees with the council’s decision, it should follow the relevant procedures to propose reasonable alternatives and persuade the council, rather than denigrating the council and reducing it to a mere rubber stamp for the mayor.”

Shin Cheolui, the council member who proposed the ordinance, said, “Looking at other regions, the FAR is much higher than Gwangju?Busan at 594%, Daejeon at 740%, Incheon at 665%?and many believe this has helped revitalize local commercial districts. Our intention in proposing the amendment was also to contribute to downtown revitalization.”

Shin added, “The city administration points out that the housing supply rate exceeds 100% and that unsold units are increasing, but unlike large apartment complexes on the outskirts, downtown residential complexes and lifestyle lodging facilities operate under different market dynamics, so they should be considered separately from the overall unsold housing trend. The city did not officially seek coordination or discussion, only expressing disagreement at the last moment.”

◇ Gwangju City Exercises Veto for First Time in 7 Years... Conflict Expected to Intensify in Public Debate

On the 20th, Gwangju City held an ordinance and regulation review committee meeting and decided to request the council to reconsider the “Gwangju City Urban Planning Ordinance Amendment” by April 4. This is the first time in seven years since March 2018 that Gwangju City has requested reconsideration of an ordinance passed by the council.

According to the Local Autonomy Act, if the council sends an ordinance to the local government head within five days of passage, the head must promulgate it or request reconsideration within 20 days. If Gwangju City requests reconsideration, the council must decide whether to accept it and, within 10 days, resubmit the agenda to the plenary session.

With the city’s decision to request reconsideration, the conflict with the council is expected to deepen. The city council issued a statement on the 19th, saying, “We actively accept the city’s proposal for a public debate and invite Mayor Kang to participate.” The city and council are expected to hold a televised debate later this month, with participants to be decided through mutual discussion.

Some observers point out that, ahead of next year’s local elections, the calculations of pro-Kang (Kang Gijung) and anti-Kang factions may result in only political discord. For Mayor Kang, this ordinance amendment is an opportunity to gauge council support for his administration. For council members, the ordinance is linked to local development and presents a chance to signal a different political stance from the mayor.

A local political figure commented, “This ordinance will provide an opportunity to confirm the positions of both the administration and the council, as well as the pro-Kang and anti-Kang factions. However, since the ordinance is directly related to future downtown issues, it must be conducted transparently and with broad input from experts and residents.”