The petition, signed by 109 residents, rejected the proposed reopening of Waft By The Sea, a small restaurant that has been operating for years, fronting Tanapag beach.
Joseph Ruak, who spearheaded the petition, told the board that the petitioners need not be of legal age as long as they are Tanapag residents.
However, he said those signed the petition were 18 years old and above.
“It’s great!” Ruak told the Variety, when asked about the Zoning Board’s decision.
Waft By The Sea Restaurant, which is owned by Hidehito Hida, has ceased operation.
Hida leased and constructed a new structure on a residential lot, a few yards from its original location.
The Zoning Board conducted a public consultation on July 23 regarding Hida’s proposal to reopen the restaurant.
The Zoning Board at the time explained the nonconformity clause in the Saipan zoning law: an establishment that stopped its operation for six months could not open again.
Tanapag residents informed the Zoning Board, through the petition, that “our village was successful, 12 years ago, in rejecting a proposal to commercialize the area by the construction of a hotel near the beach.”
Residents noted that “Tanapag is the least disturbed of Saipan’s villages by garment factories and other economic development.”
They added, “This village is our home, where we have lived all our lives…. Our village is very small and its residents all know and help each other.”
Zoning Board Chairman Henry Hofschneider advised Hida to explore other options or relief if he was not content with the decision.
Hida, through an interpreter, said he respects the board’s decision and will now seek legal advise.
Hida recalled that he was ready to submit to the Zoning Board another petition by Tanapag residents who supported his restaurant.
But the scheduled public consultation did not push through, he said.
Hida said he will not operate a poker game room nor turn his proposed restaurant into a bar.
His establishment, he added, will cater to the needs of Tanapag residents.
