‘500세대 이하’는 소규모 정비사업?…모아타운·가로주택과 뭐가 다를까

The South Korean government and local officials are debating the designation of certain neighborhoods as "small-scale renovation" areas, specifically targeting properties with 500 or fewer stories. Both the central government and local authorities have differing perspectives on this matter. While the government worries that dividing properties into smaller units could complicate the renovation process, officials argue that the term "small-scale renovation" is not legally precise; the correct term is "small-scale housing renovation" as defined by the special law on vacant and small-scale housing renovations.

In essence, the "500-story" designation is not an official name for a specific project but rather an umbrella term for a type of small-scale housing renovation. The actual legal basis for these renovations is outlined in the law governing repairs of vacant and small-scale housing, which includes self-rented houses, low-rise houses, small-scale renovations, and small-scale redevelopment.

The focus of the current discussion is not the type of renovation but rather the area that will be designated as a renovation zone. Currently, the city's chief administrative officer is responsible for drafting renovation plans, and the zoning of the renovation area is determined after review by the Seoul Metropolitan Planning Council. The city is proposing to transfer this zoning authority to the chief administrative officer.

The "small-scale renovation" initiative is intertwined with the concept of "mixed-use development," which involves combining multiple development projects into a single integrated project. In Seoul, this is referred to as a "mixed-use town" (mixed-use town), and the individual development projects within such a town are called "mixed-use housing."

The term "mixed-use town" is not an official designation in the law; instead, individual projects are governed by the "Vacant and Small-Scale Housing Renovation Special Law" (Vacant House Law), which covers projects such as road repairs, garages, and similar infrastructure. The most common type of renovation project involves maintaining existing road networks while renovating one or two blocks.

The maximum size of these projects is typically 10,000 square meters, but under certain conditions, they can be expanded to 20,000 or 40,000 square meters in a mixed-use town. Small-scale redevelopment is aimed at converting low-rise apartment buildings with fewer than 200 stories.

The potential for conflict between these two initiatives arises when neighbors choose different paths. If the scope of "small-scale renovation" becomes more lenient, residents may opt to pursue independent renovations or request that their properties be divided into smaller units under the "500-story" designation. This could potentially disrupt the comprehensive planning for infrastructure such as roads, parks, and parking lots that is intended for a mixed-use town.

The concern is that smaller, disconnected areas may make it difficult for the city to provide necessary public facilities like kindergartens, community centers, and libraries.