About 2,400 units of high-rise APT. buildings up to 40 stories are being promoted on a 200,000 square meter site in Sindorim-dong, Guro District, Seoul. The area is adjacent to Anyangcheon and the Western arterial road, and it is expected to contribute to the improvement of the living environment in the area.
According to the Guro District Office, the city of Seoul, and the repair industry on the 13th, landowners in the urban environment repair zone in the vicinity of 293 Sindorim-dong, Guro District, and the district, Seoul, are reviewing plans to amend the repair plan for the area.
This area was designated by the city of Seoul as an urban environment repair zone in October 2012, and the repair plan was finalized. The plan proposes to convert 196,648 square meters into infrastructure facilities such as roads, parks, green spaces, and social welfare facilities, as well as into apartment complexes, neighborhood living facilities, and industrial lands (factories). It is a city-level project for revitalizing underdeveloped and aging areas.
The Sindorim urban environment repair project committee planned 2,700 units of housing (APT.) in the original repair plan. Among these, Building 115, located in the center, will be developed up to 42 stories, while Buildings 108 to 112, adjacent to Anyangcheon and the Western arterial road, will be built at a relatively lower height of 22 stories.
The Sindorim urban environment repair project committee is considering adjusting the existing repair plan by lowering the height of Building 115, which was intended to be a maximum of 42 stories in the center of the housing complex, and instead raising Buildings 108 to 112, which are adjacent to Anyangcheon and the Western arterial road, from the existing 22 stories to 40 stories. A committee official noted, "We plan to reconfigure the repair plan and consult with the relevant authorities."
The reason the committee is adjusting the repair plan is that the 'Law on Protecting Educational Environments' enacted in February 2016 must be reflected after the repair plan was established. This law defines the area within a straight-line distance of 200 meters from the boundary of a school or planned school site as an 'educational environment protection zone' and stipulates that an 'educational environment evaluation' must be conducted to assess whether it infringes on the sunlight rights of schools in the zone. This law did not exist when the repair plan was established. The Southern Seoul Office of Education expects that Building 115, planned to be up to 42 stories, will partially infringe on the sunlight rights of Sindorim Elementary School between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. This elementary school is already affected by the nearby Dong-A 1st APT., raising concerns that further infringement could occur.
The committee plans to prepare a repair plan, including design changes, to apply for a project implementation plan to Guro District for the protection of sunlight rights and educational environments. Such design changes are expected to lead to a reduction in the number of existing housing units. A Guro District official said, "We expect the reduction to be about 200 to 300 units to protect sunlight rights, so we need to prepare a plan that includes this and inform the owners to obtain their consent before applying for the project implementation plan." The committee anticipates a reduction of 340 units.
If the amendment to the repair plan is limited to minor changes such as changes in floor levels as proposed by the committee, Guro District can decide whether to approve the project implementation after announcing the changes. However, if significant issues are modified, the repair plan must undergo review by the city of Seoul. An official from the city of Seoul stated, "It is still at a stage where we cannot know how much the repair plan will change."