It was confirmed on the 10th that the Sewoon district 4 redevelopment project to build a high-rise building up to 142 meters tall across from Jongmyo in Seoul passed one of its final hurdles, the building safety impact assessment.
The remaining procedure is approval for a change to the project implementation plan. If approved, a building up to 35 stories can be built as planned by the Seoul city government despite opposition from the Korea Heritage Service. Jongno District Office, the competent local government, plans to decide on approval within this month.
According to the Seoul city government, on the 5th the city held a second final review of the building safety impact assessment and conditionally passed the Sewoon district 4 urban renewal redevelopment project. The Seoul city government notified Jongno District Office of the review result.
The building safety impact assessment is required for supertall buildings or large buildings with a total floor area of 100,000 square meters or more. After an external evaluation agency conducts the review and the Seoul city government finalizes and passes the assessment at a panel of experts, the competent district office issues a building permit and approves the project implementation plan based on it.
An official at Jongno District Office said, "We plan to finalize whether to approve the change to the project implementation plan within this month."
Sewoon district 4 is a downtown redevelopment zone across from the main gate of Jongmyo. It is about 173 to 199 meters from the Jongmyo wall. In Oct. last year, the Seoul city government announced a change to the redevelopment acceleration plan easing the height limits in Sewoon district 4. Under the change, the height standard on the Jongmyo side was raised from 55 meters to 98.7 meters, and on the Cheonggyecheon side from 71.9 meters to 141.9 meters. The project also passed an integrated review in March.
However, the Korea Heritage Service says high-density development in Sewoon district 4 could affect the viewshed of Jongmyo, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and that a Heritage Impact Assessment must be conducted first. Last month, the agency ordered the Seoul city government, Jongno District, and the Seoul Housing and Urban Development Corporation (SH) to conduct a Heritage Impact Assessment and demanded that approval procedures be halted until the assessment is completed. In response, SH filed an administrative suit, saying the order is unjust.
In the redevelopment industry, some say it will be difficult to further delay approvals because backlash from landowners and residents has grown due to project delays. An industry official said, "Sewoon district 4 has already undergone multiple plan changes and reviews, leading to prolonged delays," and added, "After Oh Se-hoon secured a fifth term as mayor, Seoul's policy of high-density development in the urban core could regain momentum."