Shelved construction project for luxury condo under Mount Bukhan to restart

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Wed, December 6, 2023 | 22:51

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Shelved construction project for luxury condo under Mount Bukhan to restart

Posted : 2019-08-28 12:07

Updated : 2019-08-28 12:07

The revised layout of Pine Tree & Spa condo complex in Ui-dong, northeastern Seoul / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

By Lee Suh-yoon

Construction of a controversial condominium project that was stopped seven years ago will resume in November, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Gangbuk-gu Office announced Tuesday.

Half-finished and deserted, the Pine Tree & Spa condo complex rises like a screen of white matchboxes when one approaches Mount Bukhan from Ui-dong, northeastern Seoul.

This 14-block complex was supposed to be an exclusive five-star vacation suite with unrivaled views of Mount Bukhan, the highest peak in Seoul. Nearby residents and environmental groups, however, were against the plan, saying the buildings would violate the five-floor height restriction around the mountain and block the mountain view for flanking villas that abided by the height limit.

Construction was abruptly halted in January 2012, when the city government under Mayor Park Won-soon launched a probe into allegations of illicit dealings between the developer and local regulators who authorized the construction design. The inspection found the urban planning committee arbitrarily eased the height restriction from five to seven floors for Pine Tree Resort. Dozens of local government officers and committee members were penalized in the case.

Though stalled, the plan could not be scrapped. The exteriors of 13 out of the planned 14 buildings were mostly finished, with 40 percent of the total construction budget already spent.

The new plans announced Tuesday will be realized by Samjung, a Busan-based developer which took over the project from Ssangyong E&C last year. Ssangyong had to let go of the project due to a liquidity problem after the scandal chased off investors, a city official said.

The city government, Samjung and Gangbuk-gu Office say the new design was reached in a compromise with local residents. According to the compromise, two of the nine seven-floor buildings will be adjusted down to five floors, including building 106 that blocks the Mount Bukhan view the most when people look at the mountain from the Bukhansan Ui Station crossroad. The triangle-shaped tops on the building facades will also be removed from at least three buildings.

Pine Tree & Spa condo complex / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

To make sure the facility gives back to the local community, the developer will give priority to local residents when selecting 150 staff members for the condo. Buildings closest to the residential area across Baekun Stream will have children's play facilities and community centers on the ground floor and open up its rooftop gardens to the public. Residents will also get a new public parking lot.

Instead of selling out the condominium to investors or rotating them among just VIP members, 30 percent of the planned 322 flats will be rented out to anyone who books in advance.

"It's meaningful that we could partially prevent the blocking off of the Mount Bukhan landscape, as well as improve the public nature (of the construction project) by opening parts of the condominium to local residents," said Kwon Ki-wook, chief of the urban planning bureau at the city government.

The construction is expected to be finished by June 2021.

sylee@koreatimes.co.kr