Songpa-gu approved the Songpa Hanyang 1st Apartment reconstruction union just three days after the application was filed, slashing the statutory 30-day processing window to three. The project achieved a 90.99% resident consent rate and made full use of Seoul's streamlined procedures — transforming the existing 577-unit complex into a 954-unit, 29-story development with a floor-area ratio of around 300%.
Songpa-gu is dramatically cutting the time it takes to process reconstruction paperwork, pushing urban renewal projects in the district forward at an unprecedented pace.
The district office said Thursday it had approved the union establishment for the Songpa Hanyang 1st Apartment reconstruction project — located at 187 Garakno, Songpa-gu, Seoul — just three days after the application was filed.
Given that the statutory processing deadline for union establishment approval is 30 days, completing the authorization in just three is a rare "ultra-fast" milestone in Songpa-gu's urban renewal history.
The project had already demonstrated strong momentum: 525 of the complex's 577 landowners and property holders submitted consent forms, yielding an approval rate of 90.99%. Since the promotion committee received its own approval in February, it had maintained close, ongoing communication with the district office to prepare meticulously for each subsequent step.
A key factor behind the record-fast approval was the district's active use of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's "Union Establishment Process Improvement Plan," designed to accelerate union formation.
Seoul introduced the plan in August, allowing promotion committees to begin union-establishment work before the formal designation of a renewal zone and to run parallel tracks — simultaneously handling the estimated cost-sharing notice and objection period alongside preparations for the inaugural general assembly.
Taking full advantage of the new framework, the Hanyang 1st promotion committee ran the 30-day estimated cost-sharing notice and objection period concurrently with its inaugural general assembly preparations, holding the assembly on Sept. 12 and finalizing key agenda items. The district office compressed its document review to the minimum, completing the union establishment approval on Thursday — just three days after receiving the application.
With the union now formally established, Songpa Hanyang 1st Apartment is set to enter full-scale reconstruction. The existing 577-unit complex will be redeveloped into an 11-building, 954-unit residential complex — including 156 public rental units — rising up to 29 stories above three below-ground floors, with a floor-area ratio of 299.69%.
This is not the first time Songpa-gu has moved at such speed. In January, the district approved union establishments for the Macheon 5 zone in seven days and for Ogeum Hyundai Apartment in 12. In July, District Mayor Seo Gang-seok signed off on the project implementation plan for Jamsil Jugong 5 Complex as his first official act of the ninth elected term. The district has consistently placed administrative weight on support rather than gatekeeping, making it the fastest-moving urban renewal authority in Seoul.
"The ultra-fast union establishment approval for Songpa Hanyang 1st Apartment will serve as an important starting point for elevating Songpa to an entirely new level — beyond simply being a premium residential city," District Mayor Seo said. "We will continue to work closely with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and related departments to build a 'hyper-gap city Songpa' that represents Seoul in a way no other city can match."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
