"We will ensure fairness" Incheon Subong Park Height Restriction Regulation Eased

【Financial News Incheon=Han Gapsu Reporter】 The area around Subong Park, which is located in the city center of Incheon but has been under height restriction regulations for over 40 years due to the presence of a military post, will have its height restrictions eased.
Incheon City announced on the 27th that it plans to reasonably ease the height restriction regulations around Subong Park to match urban conditions.
Subongsan (elevation 107.2m) is located in the center of Michuhol-gu, formed as a flat urban area, and is a major landmark representing Incheon City with high symbolic and scenic value.
The area around Subong Park was designated as a height district in 1984 for landscape protection, and despite three rounds of regulation easing, most building heights are still limited to 15m or less.
As a result, it is difficult to promote development projects such as housing maintenance or redevelopment for residents, leading to decreased business viability, an increase in aging buildings, and a worsening residential environment, with urban hollowing out progressing without significant change over the past 40 years.
On the other hand, the surrounding areas adjacent to the Subong Height District have relatively free height restrictions, with active maintenance and development, and a trend of high-density and high-rise construction, widening the development gap between the Subong Park area and surrounding regions.
In response, the city began a maintenance service for the Subong Height District last February to review the view points and height standards of the height district according to changes in urban conditions, embarking on full-scale regulation easing work.
Going forward, the city plans to derive a building height plan that harmonizes with the surrounding environment through systematic and comprehensive landscape simulation, while maintaining the scenic value of Subongsan and minimizing infringement on residents' property rights by establishing reasonable height standards.
The city intends to promote this maintenance in conjunction with regulatory easing policies in a unified manner.
The city is already pursuing the easing of height restriction regulations in the areas of Jayu Park and Wolmi Park as part of the Jemulpo Renaissance core project and plans to eliminate overlapping regulations on building heights and manage them more flexibly by abolishing the height district and unifying management under a district unit plan. The Subong Height District will also be maintained in the same manner.
The city plans to implement administrative procedures for changing the urban management plan in the second half of this year, reflecting the results of the maintenance service, and to make a final announcement around February next year.
Lee Cheol, Director of Urban Planning Bureau, said, "We will ease the height restriction regulations around Subong Park to ensure fairness with other regions and provide better living conditions for residents."
kapsoo@fnnews.com Han Gapsu Reporter