The ruling party’s belated reflection “Taking a plan to increase Seoul’s floor area ratio”

As one of the housing supply measures, the ruling party has come up with easing the use area of ​​Seoul. It is true that the space for housing supply increases if the area ratio is increased by changing the use area. However, experts affirmed that “the use change takes a very long time and procedure, and there is a possibility that preferential fertilization may occur, so short-term measures have no effect.”

On the 12th, Hong Ik-pyo, chairman of the Democratic Party’s Policy Committee, appeared on a radio broadcast and said, “We will announce measures to dramatically increase supply to Seoul and other metropolitan areas in the direction of increasing the floor area ratio through densification or change of use.” He added, “The policy committee and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport are in discussions.”

It is reported that the party administration is considering a method of increasing the floor area ratio by giving general residential areas in Seoul or converting them into commercial areas and semi-industrial areas into residential areas. In particular, it is observed that if the repurposed plan, which has been pointed out that the procedure is more difficult and complex than the high-density development plan for low-density residential areas, is actually promoted, the supply volume will be secured on a considerable scale.

Chairman Hong expressed his intention to expand the role of the public sector in the supply process. “There is a need to further strengthen the market control ability of public institutions in the housing market by mixing private-centered supply and public quantities including long-term rental housing,” he said.

However, the government and the city of Seoul seem to be confused by the ruling party’s poorly refined policy. A government official said, “It is a very sensitive matter to change the use at the core of Seoul.” Said.

An official from the city of Seoul said, “Because semi-industrial areas are future assets of Seoul, we are maintaining the position that we must observe them.” He added, “There is also a problem that it takes a long time for housing supply to be decided because the committee must go through procedures such as deliberation in order to change the use area.” Currently, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is reviewing ways to increase the floor area ratio in the area around the station area.

However, it is known that they prefer the method of applying the floor area ratio special case when conditions such as the proportion of rental housing construction are satisfied rather than the method of increasing the floor area ratio through change of use. This is because there are many troublesome problems, such as how to solve the dispute on equity raised by local residents excluded from the change when the area of ​​use is changed. Experts also dismissed Chairman Hong’s remarks on this day as short views. One real estate expert said, “Since the interests of numerous landowners and legal issues are intertwined, the change of use cannot be done in a short period of time, and the change may not be completely eliminated.” It is really an amateur idea to come out,” he criticized.

Lee Chang-moo, professor of urban engineering at Hanyang University, said, “The change of the use area is a problem that shakes the urban planning system.”

This is not the first time a party official has mentioned such an unprofitable housing supply measure. On the 10th, as Deputy Prime Minister of Economy and Ministry of Strategy and Finance Hong Nam-ki said on a radio broadcast that “I will induce the multi-homed people to offer their existing homes,” expectations spread that it would ease the heavy burden of the transfer tax for multi-homed people. However, when public opinion worsened, the ruling party went on to evolve, saying, “It is inappropriate to mention the easing of the transfer tax at the point when the real estate policy is just taking effect,” and “there is no plan to discuss.”

[김동은 기자 / 채종원 기자 / 이축복 기자]
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