Redevelopment and rebuilding districts across Seoul that were once stripped of their designation or abandoned because of resident opposition and weak returns are restarting one after another. Eased rules have improved the economics of these projects, and with residents now cooperating, the pool of redevelopment sites in the city is widening.
The Yeomri 4 district in Mapo-gu won approval to form a redevelopment association on the 14th of this month, according to the redevelopment industry on the 22nd. Yeomri 4 was folded into the Ahyeon New Town project in 2003 and pursued redevelopment, but residents pushed to scrap it and the district lost its designation in 2015. Expectations for returns later rose as residents moved into nearby Ahyeon New Town complexes and home prices climbed, and with growing demand to improve the aging residential environment, the area was designated a redevelopment district again in December last year. It won approval for a preparatory committee in January this year and completed the association setup eight months later. Current plans call for 12 buildings of up to 35 stories with a total of 1,120 units.
Similar momentum is building across Seoul in areas where projects once collapsed over resident opposition or internal disputes. As housing ages and the price gap with newly built complexes nearby widens, districts that once gave up are trying redevelopment and rebuilding again.
The Imkwang 1 and 2 complexes in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, were designated a redevelopment district in 2019, but disagreements among residents over the share of rental housing and the floor area ratio delayed the formation of a preparatory committee for a long stretch. After one extension passed without a committee in place, the district lost its designation in 2024. It is now pursuing rebuilding again through the city's Fast Track Planning program. Resident consent passed 75% in the middle of this month, about a month after the group began collecting consent forms.
The Hongeun 15 district in Seodaemun-gu followed a similar path. Designated a prospective redevelopment district in 2009, it was released in 2013 at residents' request, but as calls for redevelopment grew again it was selected as a Fast Track Planning candidate site in 2021. It was designated a redevelopment district last year and won association approval on March 20 this year. A project covering 1,834 units is now under way.
Districts that once stalled for lack of financial viability are also trying again, backed by eased rules. The Ssangmun 2 district, covering the area around 81 Ssangmun-dong in Dobong-gu, lost its existing rebuilding designation in 2017 because of weak returns. It was later picked as a Fast Track Planning candidate in 2024 and, after an upgrade in its zoning designation, was redesignated as a redevelopment district for 1,919 units in April this year. In June, it won approval for a preparatory committee to form an association.
The Jangwi 13-1 and 13-2 districts in Seongbuk-gu regained momentum through improved returns. Included in the Jangwi redevelopment promotion zone in 2006, the area was released in 2014 and converted into an urban regeneration zone the following year. But Fast Track Planning was confirmed in April this year, putting it back into the redevelopment process. It also won approval for a preparatory committee in June. Applying revised standards for drawing up redevelopment promotion plans, the Seoul city government raised the floor area ratio to 300% from 230% and expanded the planned unit count to about 5,900 from 4,128.
Given how much land Seoul once removed from redevelopment designation, restarting these sites carries weight for housing supply. Of the 389 sites once released from designation, 163 have been pursuing redevelopment or Moa Town projects again since 2021, according to the Seoul city government. Housing planned across those sites totals 128,550 units.
An official in the redevelopment industry said eased rules — including Fast Track Planning, zoning upgrades and adjustments that improve project returns — are reaching even areas that once offered weak returns, widening the pool of redevelopment sites in Seoul. "Areas that once dropped out of redevelopment will keep coming back into the formal process as they secure resident consent and financial viability," the official said.
