The Seoul Metropolitan Government will relax the ratio of non-residential facilities in commercial and semi-residential areas. This is the 'first regulatory reform proposal' that was put forth after discussions on various improvement measures centered on deregulation during an emergency economic meeting chaired by Mayor Oh Se-hoon last December.
Currently, the ratio of non-residential facilities (excluding apartments and semi-apartments) in mixed-use residential buildings within Seoul's commercial areas will be reduced from 20% to 10% as per the local government ordinance, and the regulation mandating a floor area ratio of at least 10% in semi-residential areas will be abolished.
Earlier, after announcing the first regulatory reform proposal with this content, the Seoul Metropolitan Government revised the 'standards for establishing district unit plans' to abolish the floor area ratio regulation (of at least 10%) for non-residential facilities in mixed-use residential buildings that are not affected by the ordinance. As a result, the non-residential ratio will not apply to new districts.
However, the 177 areas that have already been designated as district unit planning areas can undergo regulatory abolition through plan reorganization. Consequently, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to promote this swiftly and effectively through comprehensive and direct management rather than reorganization by local districts.
Accordingly, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to finalize the abolition of the standards for non-residential purposes that mandated a floor area ratio of over 10% in 177 district unit planning areas through a review by the Urban and Architectural Joint Committee next month.
However, for some areas that operate a non-residential ratio standard separate from the Seoul criteria, the plan will review the possibility of amendments during future reorganization of individual district unit planning areas, considering the purpose of such plans, like street revitalization. For instance, the main area of the commercial district in the Sillim area has a non-residential ratio of 20%, and the main area within 250 meters of the Yeouido Apartment District has a non-residential ratio of 30%.
The plan to relax the non-residential ratio in commercial areas from the existing 20% to 10% is currently in the process of ordinance amendment, with related procedures expected to be completed by mid-year.
This district unit plan amendment also includes a reorganization plan for 98 areas that will increase the allowable floor area ratio to 1.1 times the ordinance ratio following the reform of the floor area ratio system last year.
Jo Nam-joon, head of the Urban Space Headquarters of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, noted, "With the full operation of the first regulatory reform proposal, we expect to induce free and creative planning within district unit planning areas, which will serve as a platform to revitalize the construction market," and added, "We will continue to make every effort to discover and promote regulatory reform proposals so that citizens can directly experience changes in Seoul's space."