While, according to the article, Hida’s operation of the restaurant in its past location may not have caused any significant harm to the village of Tanapag, its re-opening in its proposed new location will indeed cause harm. The new location is immediately adjacent to Tanapag’s community hall, beach and boat launch area and to its beach park.
The beach area cannot accommodate the additional vehicles that will enter the area to service the restaurant — from garbage trucks to food vendors — nor the vans and cars that can be expected to bring in its patrons. The additional traffic not only would create a traffic hazard, particularly to the children in the area, but would disturb traditional uses of the surroundings.
Among other things, its trash disposal will also pose a health risk, judging from the restaurant’s practice at its former site, where it left garbage cans sitting outside, uncovered, attracting rats, dogs, cats, flies and other scavengers.
Hida allegedly owes one or more Tanapag residents substantial amounts of money. It would, presumably, therefore, be in their best interest if the restaurant were allowed to function, so that the residents might stand a chance of collecting on their loans. Evidence would suggest, however, that Hida is not a good businessman, given that his earlier location began as a dive shop, morphed into a restaurant, changed again into a dinner only service, and ended up only catering to occasional mostly Japanese tourist groups. He ended up owing money to his partner, which is why he had to give up the first place where he was located.
Further evidence of his lack of business prowess is the roof-top structure he added to his first location — and furnished with tables and chairs — expecting to hold parties on the roof. No function has ever been held there. Eventually, the tables and chairs were removed, and it was used as a dog pen instead.
Hopefully, the Zoning Board will look beyond the numbers, and evaluate the petition to reconsider its decision using more rational, reasonable, defensible grounds.
RUTH L. TIGHE
Tanapag, Saipan
