In her letter to Fitial, Zoning Board Chairwoman Hermina M. Fusco said House Local Bill 17-1 is “troubling.”
The board also urged the governor not to entertain any similar measure that seeks to abolish or suspend the zoning law.
Introduced by Rep. Stanley T. Torres, Ind.-Saipan, H.L.B. 17-1 will suspend the zoning law for six months to allow the zoning office to address the “unintended consequences” of the law.
Fusco said the bill failed to state good reasons why there is a need to suspend the law.
To say that residents encounter issues detrimental to their business is not enough to suspend the law, Fusco said.
She said the board has not been advised about the law’s “unintended effects.”
Suspending the zoning law, she added, is akin to “throwing the baby out with the bath water.”
Even business groups, Fusco said, do not like the idea of suspending the zoning law.
“Imagine how prospective investors would view this type of legislation. There is no statistical data, no study, no analysis and explanation of any kind as to how the zoning law has adversely affected the businesses,” Fusco said.
The board believes, she added, that the bill was introduced to accommodate individuals who were having problems with the zoning law.
The board, she said, wanted to discuss and work with the bill’s author on any concerns regarding the zoning law but all their attempts to communicate with him were left unanswered.
