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03/06/25 - Saipan Zoning administrator Therese Ogumoro presented the agency’s successes and challenges during the Saipan Chamber of Commerce general membership meeting last Wednesday at the Saipan World Resort.
Ogumoro’s presentation comes as Sen. Manny Castro (D-Saipan) introduced a bill to abolish the Zoning Office board and suspend Zoning regulation for five years.
“I'll say our main highlight right now is that majority all of the property owners that had signs posted on their properties have been very supportive and we receive positive feedback from them. As you can see from the photos, they've begun to improve or they've completed demolition of their structures that's unsafe or abandoned,” she said.
Ogumoro said she’d like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Zoning board to sincerely appreciate all the property owners for their efforts and initiatives they've taken to improve their properties as well as those property owners who are beginning to take actions to improve their properties.
As for challenges, Ogumoro said the Zoning Office is beset by a lot of them.
“But the first one that's in my head is we want to make sure that before we even post in the property or issue violation notices, we want to make sure that ownership information is solid, is correct, and true. The [CNMI Zoning] Act requires that we obtain this information from the Commonwealth Recorder's Office.”
Unfortunately, she said, some property information isn’t updated because lease agreements are not mandated by law to be recorded.
“So, we do intend to work with the Legislature to see if they can assist in helping to get these, what do you call that, lease agreements, you know, something to be required to be updated at the CNMI Recorder's Office.”
Asked what are the Zoning Office’s priorities when it comes to enforcing the law when it comes to blighted properties, Ogumoro said they usually zero in on Saipan’s main thoroughfares.
“Top priority areas include the main thoroughfares. We have a couple of dilapidated buildings that we're working with property owners now. I showed a sample of one damaged building that's been there for years, and just two months ago it was knocked down by the owner, completely removed. So. it all depends on the nature of violation there. They're scattered around.”
She said even as they prioritize buildings that can readily be seen by the public, she did emphasize that all blighted structures are under the purview of the Zoning Office.
“There are mostly abandoned and dilapidated structures that we're dealing with at the moment. We do have a lot of structures that are hidden also, but strong winds can [tear] them down [and blow them to] the main thoroughfares or close by to school areas or daycares. We also take note of those as they are among the main priority areas,” Ogumoro added.
She also said another headache is when they can’t find the owner of the blighted property. The law defines owner as any person having interest on the property at the time that the condition is identified.
“So, a lessee will be given the notice. If we can, after several attempts, if we cannot locate the lessee, then the posting of the property will be sufficient notice. Now, in the event that the lessee has disappeared and cannot be found, of course, the Commonwealth will take care of removing the nuisance and then go through the steps and options to recoup the cost.”
As for Castro’s bill, Ogumoro politely avoided answering questions about Senate Bill 24-23, which intends to “suspend the administration and implementation of the Commonwealth Zoning Code and the Saipan Zoning Law and its amendments for a period of five years; and for other purposes.”
“That's our first time to look at the scene that such a bill is in the works. I would respectfully decline to comment any further about it until I confer with members of the board,” she said.
In its fiscal year 2024 Citizen Centric Report submitted to the Office of Public Auditor, the Zoning Office said it conducted a total of 909 inspections for compliance with Zoning requirements during this fiscal year. These inspections included 241 on blighted properties, 213 for compliance on permit conditions, 100 on ground signboards, and 99 on junk vehicles. From the total inspections conducted, 109 resulted from the staff’s routine village inspections.
The Zoning Office said it also continues to streamline its application processing to further improve issuance timeline for permits. In the above-mentioned fiscal year, the Zoning Office processed a total of 3,585 zoning permits and clearances. The highest number of applications processed were zoning clearances at 2,545, followed by zoning permits to operate businesses in existing structures at 274, home business permits at 181, sign permits at 137, and temporary use permits at 135.
The Zoning Board also conducted a total of 10 Conditional Use public hearings, while three applications were postponed due to insufficient submission of requirements.
From the total 3,585 permits processed, 99% were completed by the end of the fiscal year, while the other 1% remained pending awaiting further requirements.
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Story by Mark Rabago
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