Hofschneider, in an e-mail to the Variety, said “the purpose of the [zoning] law is primarily to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.”
“The board is struggling to understand some of the issues and concerns he said the zoning law created,” Hofscheider said, referring to Rep. Stanley T. Torres, R-Saipan and the bill’s sponsor .
Hofschneider said the Zoning Board has “great respect” for Torres “as an elected official and for who he is as a person.”
“His comments mean a lot,” Hofschneider went on to say.
He added, “If the public has benefited from the law since its enactment and has continued to do so to present, then the bill that the Saipan legislative delegation passed and the governor signed into law is a good law.”
“Saipan residents who care about their surroundings are seeing changes for the better and enjoying them. Breathing the tropical air is becoming easier because all the clutters are being uncluttered,” Hofschneider said.
Torres said there have been complaints brought to his attention in connection with the zoning law’s implementation.
Zoning, he added, is not working out as planned.
“What we need is a system that works with our landowners and developers, not one that hampers their every move and creates ivory tower unworkable plans,” Torres said.
