Combined parking tower, smart parking tower planned for Hoehyeon-dong

An area near 164 Hoehyeon-dong 1-ga. (Naver Street View)
An area near 164 Hoehyeon-dong 1-ga. (Naver Street View)

Seoul will carry out five projects in an aging low-rise residential area of Hoehyeon-dong, Jung-gu, at the foot of Namsan. The projects include building parking towers, improving fire truck access roads and upgrading pedestrian paths. The total project cost is 25.3 billion won ($18.9 million).

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday that its second Urban Planning Committee's regeneration subcommittee had conditionally approved a revision to the "Seoul Station Area Urban Regeneration Activation Plan" on Thursday. The revision incorporates a support project for redeveloping the aging residential area of Hoehyeon-dong.

The Hoehyeon-dong area was selected in December 2024 as a leading site under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's "New Village" initiative. The initiative has since been renamed the "support project for redeveloping aging residential areas." The latest revision incorporates the project's contents into a legally binding plan, laying the groundwork for it to move forward in earnest.

The site in question is located around 164 Hoehyeon-dong 1-ga. It is a low-rise residential neighborhood that developed naturally on a hillside at the foot of Namsan. Narrow roads, a shortage of parking spaces and steep slopes have long caused inconvenience for residents there. Of the buildings on the site, 214, or 87.3 percent, are more than 20 years old.

Given that large-scale redevelopment is difficult in the area, the city has focused on improving parking, safety and pedestrian conditions rather than pursuing full-scale redevelopment. It plans to spend a total of 25.3 billion won by 2029 to carry out the five projects in phases. The funding includes 10.1 billion won in state funds and 15.2 billion won in local funds.

The city will first use the sites of existing public facilities that will be freed up when the Hoehyeon-dong community service center and a day care center relocate. It will build a combined parking tower and a separate smart parking tower there, each with four above-ground floors and three below-ground floors.

The city will improve roads on narrow, dead-end alleys to allow fire trucks to enter. It will also add safety facilities such as security lights and handrails on sloped areas. The city also plans to improve pedestrian conditions by upgrading alleys and green spaces connected to the Namsan Old Trail.

The city will link the project with an ongoing revision of the district unit plan for the Hoehyeon-dong area. It will review measures to improve the aging residential environment and secure infrastructure such as roads and parking lots, so future development directions and individual projects are managed in tandem.

"Hoehyeon-dong has the locational advantage of connecting downtown Seoul with Namsan, but it has long needed basic improvements to living conditions such as parking, fire safety and pedestrian access," said Myeong No-jun, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's housing bureau. "We will move forward with the project focused on resolving, one by one, the inconveniences residents face every day."


quq@heraldcorp.com