Sanggye Jugong Complex 7 in Nowon-gu, Seoul, is speeding up its reconstruction. The district plan is about to apply for Seoul City's fast-track integrated planning advisory process. Procedures to form a "reconstruction promotion committee," the preliminary step for establishing a cooperative, are in the final stage, and a detailed safety inspection is expected early next year.
Considering the complex's location in a station area, Seoul City has decided to allow a floor area ratio of up to 500%, so if reconstruction goes ahead, a large complex of up to 49 stories and more than 3,500 households is expected.
According to the maintenance industry on the 29th, Nowon-gu is reviewing a district plan to apply for Seoul City's fast-track integrated planning advisory process. The Sanggye Jugong Complex 7 reconstruction preparation committee obtained residents' consent and submitted a district plan to Nowon-gu in Nov., a step to apply for Seoul City's fast-track planning. A Nowon-gu official said, "We plan to apply for the fast-track planning advisory after internal review," adding, "Once the fast-track planning proceeds, we can finalize the district plan quickly with advice from Seoul City experts."
Sanggye Jugong Complex 7, located around lot No. 692 in Sanggye-dong north of Nowon Station (Lines 4 and 7) on the Seoul subway, is one of the representative complexes among the more than 40,000 dwellings in Sanggye Jugong Complexes 1–16, which were sequentially built through the government's new town housing project from 1985 to 1989. Completed in 1988 with a maximum of 15 stories, 21 buildings, and 2,634 households, it is now pushing for reconstruction targeting a maximum of 49 stories and 3,500 households.
Earlier, on the 18th, Seoul City finalized the district unit planning area for the "Sanggye (Phases 1 and 2) residential land development district" around Nowon Station and Madeul Station in Sanggye-dong, which includes Complex 7. It set out broad guidelines such as zoning when drafting the district plan. Of the total area of 2,657,677.2 square meters (about 804,000 pyeong), the city designated 5%, or 131,678.6 square meters (about 39,800 pyeong), as a quasi-residential zone with the highest upper limit on floor area ratio (500%) among residential zones, and Complex 7 was included as its zoning was upgraded from a Type 3 general residential zone to a quasi-residential zone.
Seoul City upgraded Complex 7's zoning to a quasi-residential zone because it designated a mixed maintenance zone targeting areas within a 250-meter radius of subway stations. This means it will allow mixed development that creates commercial and office facilities along with apartment complexes, which are residential facilities, through reconstruction.
With the floor area ratio increase confirmed in the district unit plan, Complex 7 is also accelerating reconstruction-related procedures such as establishing a cooperative and conducting a detailed safety inspection. First, to upgrade the current reconstruction preparation committee to a reconstruction promotion committee, it plans to send out electronic consent forms starting next month. Under current law, forming a promotion committee requires the consent of more than 50% of land and other owners. Of the total 2,560 land and other owners, consent has been obtained from 1,000, or 40%, and the plan is to secure the remaining 10% through electronic consent.
Separately, the detailed safety inspection is expected to take place early next year. The detailed safety inspection is a stage that must be passed to proceed with reconstruction, and reconstruction is confirmed only if the complex receives grade D (31–55 points) or lower among grades A to E. Kim Chan-sik, head of the Complex 7 reconstruction preparation committee, said, "We informed Nowon-gu of our intention to conduct a detailed safety inspection, and we expect the safety inspection to be carried out in consultation with Nowon-gu around Feb. next year."
Experts say the key to reconstructing Sanggye Jugong Complex 7 will be the volume of rental housing and the size of cooperative members' contributions. Kim Je-gyeong, head of Toomey Real Estate Consulting, said, "The location is good as it is in a station area, and the floor area ratio will increase with the zoning upgrade, but how much Seoul City will require in rental housing or contributed acceptance will be a key factor for the reconstruction project."
Park Hap-su, an adjunct professor at Konkuk University Graduate School of Real Estate, also said, "As the current complex consists relatively of many small-unit households, cooperative members' contributions may increase to provide mid-to-large-unit apartments to members," adding, "Securing a large volume for general sale to reduce the burden of members' contributions is the key to a successful reconstruction project."