Call for Proposals Begins December 8, Number of Eligible Sites Expanded to 15
Applications Accepted with Only 10% Resident Consent
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will significantly expand the scope of support for the "SH Participatory Moa Town Public Management Project" to accelerate housing supply in aging low-rise residential areas. Starting this year, areas wishing to establish new Moa Towns or those where residents face difficulties in independently promoting the project will also be eligible for support.
Old downtown area of Changsin-dong, Jongno-gu, and redevelopment apartment complex in Hwanghak-dong, Jung-gu, as seen from Hanyangdoseong. Photo by Huh Younghan
On November 12, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will open applications for the "SH Participatory Moa Town Public Management Project" from December 8 to December 19, with the official call for proposals beginning on November 13.
This year, the number of eligible sites will be expanded to around 15, five more than last year. Eligible areas include: △ Moa Town or Moa Housing project sites that have been designated as Moa Towns and are either in the process of establishing or have completed their management plans, △ publicly proposed Moa Town candidate sites with an area of at least 30,000 square meters but less than 100,000 square meters.
Applications can be submitted with the consent of at least 10% of landowners and other stakeholders, but the consent rate must be increased by January 27 of next year, prior to final selection. Publicly proposed candidate sites and areas where management plans are being established require at least 30% consent, while areas with completed management plans require at least 50% consent.
Previously, the focus was on selecting areas with low business feasibility, such as those that could secure profitability through regulatory relaxation or were eligible for incentives like zoning upgrades. This year, the scope will be expanded to include areas where residents have difficulty promoting the project due to a lack of expertise, as well as areas lacking basic infrastructure such as parking lots and parks, based on local characteristics, so that they can receive public support.
If selected as a target site, the project area can be expanded from 20,000 square meters to up to 40,000 square meters. Typically, when the zoning is upgraded, a floor area ratio increase of 50% must be secured, but with public participation, this requirement is eased to 30%. When the business feasibility adjustment coefficient, scheduled to be implemented in January next year, is applied, the requirement will be further reduced to 20%, significantly improving business feasibility.
From 2026, a dedicated construction loan product for SH-participatory public projects under new development this year will be available. The interest rate is expected to be up to 0.6 percentage points lower than that of HUG, resulting in cost savings.
In addition, SH will provide step-by-step support for tasks such as establishing (or amending) management plans, forming residents' associations, and implementing joint projects at the target sites. In particular, until the residents' association is established, SH will support association formation work, including issuing and collecting consent forms and holding general meetings, through maintenance companies selected by SH.
After receiving applications, the city will conduct a business feasibility analysis and hold a selection committee in February next year to finalize the project sites.
Choi Jinseok, Director of Housing at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "This call for proposals aims to enhance business feasibility and provide opportunities for housing supply by injecting SH's expertise and public funds into areas where, despite strong resident commitment, there are difficulties in project implementation. Through public support, we will increase transparency and offer various incentives to strengthen 'Seoul-style maintenance projects.'"
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