He is urging DPL Secretary John S. Del Rosario Jr. to issue homestead permits in designated homestead area west of Northern Marianas College’s campus on Tinian.
The senator said the area has already been surveyed.
“It is my hope that we may be able to begin the lottery process for the issuance of these permits as soon as possible,” said Hofschneider, R-Tinian.
In his letter to Del Rosario, Hofschneider said the last time a lottery was conducted for Tinian homestead permits was five to 10 years ago.
While there has been a delay in the permitting process, Tinian officials have met with Del Rosario, who assured them that there was no problem with the availability of land for the homestead program, the senator said.
Hofchneider said he was told that the causes of delay include the temporary moratorium on homesteads and the reorganization of DPL.
Del Rosario recently said the governor will issue lots to 400-plus residential homestead applicants on Tinian by February.
On Rota, over 500 residential homestead lots will be issued in May or upon completion of the survey work, the DPL secretary said.
The survey work started within this month and will take about a month to complete, Del Rosario added.
Recipients of the homestead lots will have up to six years to build their first family homes, he added. In the past, recipients had to build their homes in three years.
The homestead moratorium on Saipan, however, is still in effect.
