Introduced by Rep. Stanley T. Torres, Ind.-Saipan, House Local Bill 17-26 will amend the Saipan Zoning Law of 2008 to rezone certain boundaries of 16 different locations.
It will also change certain areas from one use category to another. If it becomes law, the bill will re-designate lands identified as village residential to village commercial, rural to village commercial, and rural to mixed commercial.
Zoning planner Therese T. Ogumoro who was accompanied by Zoning Board Chairman Diego Blanco urged lawmakers to postpone action on the bill until after public hearings are held and the Zoning Office submits its findings and recommendation.
H.L.B. 17-26, Ogumoro said, “may tremendously impact the principles of zoning and proper land use planning.”
In an interview, she said the Zoning Office has a lot of concerns about many of the locations that Torres’ bill proposes to rezone.
Of the locations proposed for rezoning, only one property in Kagman and another in As Terlaje are acceptable to the Zoning Office, Ogumoro said.
But Torres said the office’s concerns could have been addressed as early as last year had its previous officials brought them up.
He said he spent a whole year working on his bill. If the recommendations of Ogumoro were raised earlier, he would have considered them, Torres added.
Vice Speaker Felicidad T. Ogumoro, Covenant-Saipan, said they should expedite action on the rezoning bill, especially those that are acceptable to the Zoning Office.
But Therese Ogumoro insisted that public hearings should be held first, adding that the Zoning Office has already scheduled them for June 6 to 14.
