The remodeling project for the Gongjak Buyeong apartment complex in Pyeongchon New Town, Anyang, has secured a 75% resident consent rate and is set to enter the stage of applying for project plan approval. The case is drawing industry attention as the overall pace of phase 1 new town remodeling projects has been sluggish amid a growing preference for reconstruction and the burden of contributions amounting to hundreds of millions of won.
Completed in 1993, Gongjak Buyeong is a representative aging complex in Pyeongchon with 1,710 dwellings. As the project moves into the actual permitting process, attention is on whether the remodeling effort, which had slowed for a while, can regain momentum.
According to the Gongjak Buyeong apartment remodeling housing association on the 22nd, the association will hold a general meeting on the 23rd to decide the rights change plan. After the meeting, it plans to apply to Anyang City for project plan approval as early as the first week of Jun. After receiving approval to establish the remodeling association in 2023, Gongjak Buyeong selected a consortium of Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Hyundai Engineering as the contractor and is pushing the project forward.
Securing resident consent had been the key task for the remodeling project. Beginning in Jan., the association moved in earnest to obtain additional consent forms and, in about four months, surpassed the 75% resident consent threshold required to apply for project plan approval. The association says its project is moving at a fast clip even among remodeling complexes in the Anyang area.
Under the current Housing Act, remodeling projects for multiunit dwellings can apply for project plan approval only after obtaining the consent of at least 75% of all sectional owners and voting rights, and at least 50% for each building. Once this standard is met, the association can also proceed with sale claims against nonconsenting owners.
An association official said, "With the 75% consent secured, preparations to file for project plan approval are virtually in the final stage," adding, "After about a week of preparations following the general meeting, we plan to submit the application for project plan approval to Anyang City in the first or second week of Jun."
According to materials distributed to residents by the association, the estimated contribution after remodeling is projected to range, by unit size, from about 190 million won to as high as 360 million won.
Along with Gongjak Buyeong, Pyeongchon Chowon Segyeong Apartments recently passed the architectural review and began formulating the rights change plan and seeking resident consent. In Sanbon New Town, some complexes, including Gaenari Apartments, are advancing to the project plan approval stage and pushing their projects. In Bundang, Neuti Maeul Complex 3 is proceeding with its remodeling project as "The Sharp Bundang Tier One," aiming for move-in in 2027.
However, the overall mood across the phase 1 new towns is tilting toward reconstruction. Pyeongchon, in particular, was once considered the most proactive area, with as many as 26 complexes pursuing remodeling, but sentiment shifted rapidly after the enforcement of the Special Act on the Maintenance of Aging Planned Cities last year and the designation of pilot districts, fueling expectations for reconstruction.
In fact, in Pyeongchon, some complexes such as Eunhasu Maeul halted their remodeling efforts and pivoted to reconstruction, and in existing remodeling complexes like Mokryeon Complexes 2 and 3 and Hyangchon Lotte Phase 3, resident opinions are divided over whether to convert to reconstruction. Bundang has also seen a stronger shift toward reconstruction, while in Ilsan, both reconstruction and remodeling are struggling to pick up speed due to low project viability and other factors.