Dobong's Ssangmun Neighborhood Center District Unit Plan Amendment Modified and Approved; Quasi-Residential FAR Raised to 440%

Area around Changdong Station added, expanding the zone to 226,876 square meters
Maximum building height along Dobong-ro raised from 50 to 100 meters

Dobong-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Dongwook), announced on October 16 that an amendment to the “Ssangmun Neighborhood Center District Unit Plan Area and Plan” was modified and approved at the 17th Seoul Urban Planning and Architecture Joint Committee meeting held on October 14. The amendment raises the allowable floor area ratio in quasi-residential areas from 360% to 440% and relaxes the maximum building height along Dobong-ro from 50 meters to 100 meters or less.

Location map of the Ssangmun Neighborhood Center District Unit Plan. Provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

The Ssangmun Neighborhood Center District Unit Plan covers the area along Dobong-ro near the intersection by the Dobong Public Health Center. The district said it began revising the plan to strengthen the area’s role as a neighborhood center, given the significant changes in urban conditions since the plan was adopted in 2006. The district has been in discussions with the Seoul Metropolitan Government since 2021 and requested that the amendment be submitted for deliberation earlier this October.

Under the amendment, some parts of the existing area will be excluded, while the area around Changdong Station will be newly included, bringing the total area to 226,876 square meters. The district described the area around Changdong Station as an “emerging regional economic center,” with the privately funded station complex completed in March this year and the opening of Changdong Seoul Arena and the opening of the GTX-C metropolitan express railway line scheduled for 2027. It said it would link the areas around the Dobong Public Health Center intersection and Changdong Station to coordinate transportation, development and commercial activity.

Reflecting revisions to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s floor area ratio framework for district unit plans, the allowable floor area ratio will increase from 200% to 220% in Type 2 general residential areas, from 250% to 275% in Type 3 general residential areas, and from 360% to 440% in quasi-residential areas. The maximum building height along Dobong-ro will be relaxed from 50 meters to 100 meters or less, while the limit along Haedeung-ro and in the area behind it will be raised from 30-40 meters to 40-60 meters or less.

The amendment also introduces incentives for buildings used for tourist accommodation or to enliven street activity, as well as for developments linked to large cultural facilities such as Seoul Arena. The district said it also revised development regulations to allow aging buildings to be renovated through voluntary development by landowners. It also set out ways to improve the pedestrian environment on key neighborhood streets, including Haedeung-ro 16-gil, and around Changdong Elementary School.

After completing follow-up procedures, including a further public review, the district plans to ask the Seoul Metropolitan Government to make a final decision and issue a public notice.

“It is meaningful that this revision, which we have pursued through ongoing discussions with the city, was approved smoothly,” District Mayor Kim Dongwook said. “The district will continue to provide support so that the Ssangmun neighborhood can develop further.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.