The last zoning administrator up and left town after contriving a bogged down and unworkable system. If this new administrator does not get it right, why he too will be on a plane back to the U.S. mainland while we remain here, stuck with a plan that hampers instead of helps. We do not need a system cut and pasted from zoning laws made for a huge urban city and try to make it work here in the essentially rural and small tourist town atmosphere of Saipan. What we need is a system that works with our landowners and developers, not one that hampers their move and creates ivory tower unworkable plans. The law needs to be amended.
If the staff at zoning can’t come up with a solution in six months, I will continue to offer legislation to delay implementation until they do get it right. This is too important a project to let it go wrong. Scare tactics of “dumps in the middle of our town” are ridiculous. Other agencies like CRM, DEQ, and DPL are in place to perform appropriate permitting for suspect land use.
Impossible waiting lists, inflexible rules and plans that disrupt businesses and try to relocate others to impossible locations are what we have right now. This must change so that the people of the commonwealth benefit from reasonable zoning regulations and enforcement. Zoning needs to be user friendly and it needs to address the needs of the community. It does neither right now. So get off your duffs and get working on a usable system. Please try spending less time writing to the newspaper and more on making your agency perform as intended.
REP. STANLEY
MCGINNIS TORRES
16th CNMI Legislature
