Cancellation of Hwaseong Special Planning Zone Ultimately Damages Residents

Suwon City's 'Hwaseong Special Planning Zone Project,' designed to redevelop deteriorated areas within Hwaseong Haenggung starting in 2004 through a consortium with the Korea Housing Corporation, has fallen through, resulting in the cancellation of these special planning zones.

This has led to concerns that residents who were unable to exercise property rights for several years while bound by the special planning zones will bear the brunt of the damage.

At an administrative audit of the Hwaseong Project Office by the Culture and Welfare Committee on the afternoon of the 27th, questions were raised about countermeasures following the failed consortium with the Korea Housing Corporation regarding the Hwaseong redevelopment project.

According to the city, a consortium agreement with the Korea Housing Corporation was signed on October 14, 2004, with a plan to designate four special planning zones in Namhyang, Buksu, Yeonmu, and Jangan from 2011 to 2020 and redevelop deteriorated areas within Hwaseong.

The special planning zone, covering a total area of 367,682㎡, was intended to include cultural and tourism infrastructure development, deteriorated area redevelopment, and special planning zone improvements.

However, on the 7th of last month, the city received notification from the Korea Housing Corporation that the consortium was not feasible, causing the special planning zone project, which had been ongoing for four years, to collapse.

Regarding this, Council Member Choi Jung-sung said, "Four areas including Namhyang-dong have been bound as special planning zones, and residents have endured this situation," questioning what measures would be taken following the failed consortium with the Korea Housing Corporation.

In response, Kim Chung-young, Director of the Hwaseong Project Office, stated, "It is difficult to continue pursuing or maintaining the special planning zone," adding that "we are proceeding with the cancellation of the special planning zone and the establishment of a district-unit zoning plan."

According to the Hwaseong Project Office's explanation, following the cancellation of the special planning zone, a district-unit zoning plan will be established to enable individual construction such as building permits and facility modifications. The office also noted that if conditions improve in the future, it could consider implementing an urban development project similar to that near Haenggung.

Council Member Choi Jung-sung remarked, "Even if building permits are released, the commercial district in the area has already been devastated for several years, making recovery difficult," requesting that "the permissible construction areas be determined as soon as possible."

Council Member Hong Jong-soo also pointed out, "(The failure of the consortium) is indeed a trial-and-error situation that damages residents within the special planning zone."