Yangjae Urban High-tech Logistics Complex site. Provided by Harim Industry
Seoul City and its owner, Harim Industries, are in a head-on conflict over the development of the old cargo terminal site in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, which is the target site for the Phi City project, which has been stranded due to the economic downturn and money lobby. Harim Industrial requested a public interest audit, saying, “The city of Seoul is deliberately delaying the project,” and the Seoul City countered that “there is a demand for high-rise and ultra-high-definition development that is contrary to urban planning.”
The reason for this division is that the views between Seoul City and Harim Industries differ greatly over the interpretation of the use of the site. Harim Industrial announced that it would build a facility with a floor area ratio of 799.9%, 7 stories below ground (50 m), and 70 stories above ground (339 m), as the area was designated as a commercial area in a letter of intent submitted to Seoul last year. The floor area ratio is the ratio of the total building area to the site area. For operators, the higher the floor area ratio, the more advantageous.
An official from Harim Industry said, “In accordance with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s guidelines for development of logistics complexes that can be applied up to the upper limit of the floor area ratio, we have submitted a letter of intent for investment applying the maximum floor area ratio allowed for the site.” I am not insisting.” Previously, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport selected this place as one of the six demonstration complexes in the high-tech logistics complex in 2016.
However, the city of Seoul sees that the development plan of Harim Industry is quite inconsistent with the city plan of Seoul. The site is a district center, which is the lowest in the central system classified in the urban master plan of Seoul, and is allowed only with 50 floors or less and a floor area ratio of 400%. It is said that giving a hand to Harim’s development plan by Seoul, which intends to foster a site of about 3 million square meters in Yangjae and Woo-myeon, including the cargo terminal site, as an innovation base for R&D, could cause controversy over preferential treatment.
Urban Planning Bureau chief Lee Jeong-hwa held an online press briefing on the 3rd and said, “The floor area ratio of 800% is applied to the site only because it was selected as a demonstration complex for an urban high-tech logistics complex by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. He pointed out that it is not fair to allow a floor area ratio of 400% for the other 13 facilities.”
Then Harim Industrial distributed a reference material titled’The Legal Problems of Seoul City Claims’ and immediately refuted it. As a basis, the National Land Planning and Utilization Act was raised, stating that if the contents of the national plan and the provincial/si/gun basic plan differ from each other, the national plan takes precedence. The plan to revitalize private investment, such as the Korean version of the New Deal project announced in July last year, and as it was selected as a demonstration complex of the Urban High-tech Logistics Complex by the Ministry of Land, means that the development should be implemented as soon as possible.
The city of Seoul is in a position that the guidelines of the city of Seoul should be followed because details such as floor area ratio and height are not determined for the demonstration complex of urban high-tech logistics complex. Director Lee explained, “At the time of the selection of the pilot complex in 2016, we requested that we consider the city policy direction to develop as a base for R&D, and Harim Industries was selected on the premise that we will’consider Seoul’s policy direction and local conditions” from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. did. In fact, in the press release of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at the time, “The cargo terminal site is expected to be’conformed to’ the development plan of the Yangjae-Womyeon R&D special zones promoted by the government and Seoul through the selection of a pilot complex.”
Development is likely to be postponed further due to the clear differences in their positions. Harim Industrial, which purchased the site in 2016, took a strong response by requesting a public interest audit on the 18th of last month when the development was postponed.
An official from Harim Industries said, “I hope that the Yangjae Urban High-tech Logistics Complex will be promoted in a lawful and prompt manner.” “I will try to meet the national economic recovery efforts and contribute to the convenience of the citizens of Seoul and enhancing the competitiveness of Seoul.” Revealed. Director Lee said, “I hope that the city’s urban planning direction will be accepted and developed as soon as possible.”
Byun Tae-seop reporter [email protected]
News directly edited by the Hankook Ilbo can also be viewed on Naver.
