SENATE President Jude U. Hofschneider, in his capacity as acting governor, on Wednesday last week signed House Local Bill 22-22 into law, allowing auto rental offices in village commercial zones on Saipan.
Authored by Rep. Joseph Leepan T. Guerrero, H.L.B. 22-22 is now Saipan Local Law 22-11.
The local measure was passed by the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation on June 3, 2022. It amends Section 404 of the Saipan Zoning Law of 2013 to allow auto rental offices with storage, staging and service onsite, for conditional use in Saipan’s zoning districts categorized as village commercial.
The new law states that certain business establishments have entered into a 40-year land lease agreement with the Department of Public Lands to open car rental businesses.
A car rental business must be located in a village commercial zone on Saipan. The specified lots, however, “are currently designated as zones that do not permit such operations within such districts.”
“Cognizant of the various economic developments occurring throughout the island of Saipan, it is appropriate to amend Table 1, under Section 404 of the Saipan Zoning Law of 2013, as amended to allow for auto rental businesses to be allowed to conduct business operations within such zoning districts. Furthermore, auto rental services will be conveniently available to residents and businesses within these districts,” the new law stated.
