Gangdong-gu (Mayor: Lee Hae-sik) will openly recruit apartment buildings wanting to open up unused parking spaces to solve on-going parking problems.

 Parking lots of apartment buildings were not permitted to be used for profit due to problems of safety, security and resident inconvenience.

 However, with the continuously growing problems in the city, construction of public parking lots has become difficult and there have been debates about opening up apartment building parking lots. As a result, opening up apartment building parking lots at a charge was made a possibility in accordance with an amendment to the ‘Enforcement Decree of the Multi-Family Housing Management Act’ (enforced August 16, 2017) in August of last year.

 Accordingly, Gangdong-gu amended the related regulation (Gangdong-gu Ordinance on the Installation and Management of Parking Lots) in May to make it possible to open apartment building parking lots and is currently in the process of constituting particulars necessary for enforcement of the regulation.

 To open a parking lot attached to an apartment building, the present conditions of the apartment building must be taken in to consideration at a representative resident meeting to determine the number of cars that can be parked and the locations, times and other necessary particulars and consent must be gained from the majority of all occupants.

 Gangdong-gu plans to operate open parking lots attached to apartment buildings after a decision to open parking lots in accordance with the management protocol of apartment buildings and after conclusion of a third-party agreement with the Gangdong-gu City Management Corporation.

 The district plans to push forward with focusing the project on apartment buildings located within the vicinity of business facilities with a higher demand for parking spaces in the daytime. Parking lots attached to apartment buildings with more free spaces available during the week will be shared with workers at nearby business facilities to improve parking conditions.

 An official of Gangdong-gu commented, “Construction of one parking space requires a minimum expenses of 200-300 million won, and it is difficult to push forward with such construction due to the problem of securing sites. Opening up apartment building parking lots at a charge will lessen the parking problems in the city and will also have the effect of lowering apartment maintenance costs through profit from open parking lots,” and “We ask for your interest and participation.”