Committee tables House Local Bill 24-11 on auto-rental staging in Garapan pending zoning amendments

The SNLI Outstanding Committee on Zoning voted to table House Local Bill 24-11, a proposal to amend section 12-11 of the Saipan Zoning Act of 2013 governing nonconforming auto-rental offices with vehicles, until zoning completes a set of targeted amendments and offers a short-term accommodation for affected businesses.

The committee, chaired by Senator Corina L. Magofna, took the action at its meeting at the Commonwealth Legislature on Saipan. The vote to table carried after members heard public comment, testimony from the acting zoning administrator and a review of written comments from the zoning office and the Mayor of Saipan.

The bill as introduced would delete or alter section 12-11 to permit auto-rental offices with staging and vehicle service in parts of the Third Senatorial District, including Garapan East, and make related changes for industry clarity and infrastructure use. Hubert M. Alipuyu, acting zoning administrator, told the committee zoning does not support wholesale repeal of the provision and requested more time to prepare draft amendments that would allow staging and service only in Garapan East while continuing to restrict those activities in Garapan Core and the tourist-resort district. Alipuyu said those amendments are expected to be ready by the end of the year.

Local business owner Steve Jang, who testified during public comment, urged caution. “Our economy remains fragile. Small businesses are struggling to survive amid high cost, limited labor, and slow tourism recovery,” Jang said, and warned that stricter rules or changes with no transition could force businesses to close. Jang also said the island’s tourism image has not fully recovered and called timing for regulatory change “wrong.”

Committee members cited competing priorities: several representatives said the original 2019–2020 amendment that tightened rules on staging and service in Garapan Core reduced congestion and pedestrian hazards, while others stressed the current fragile commercial climate and urged a temporary, pragmatic approach. Representative Marissa Flores said the committee should avoid “piecemeal legislation” and directed zoning to revisit broader enforcement and coordination with agencies such as Public Works (DPW) and the Department of Public Lands (DPL).

The Mayor of Saipan, Arby Camacho, submitted written comments dated Oct. 6 saying he is not in support of the bill; the mayor’s letter said repealing section 12-11 would “undermine the original purpose of the provision, which is to protect public safety, promote a clean and attractive environment, and to ensure orderly business operations” and would appear to benefit a small number of operators who have resisted compliance.

Zoning told the committee that the problem prompting the 2019–2020 amendments was persistent congestion in Garapan Core and tourist districts, documented in field inspections and evening site visits at the time, and that the prior change (inserted by House Local Bill 21-40 and signed June 17, 2020) aimed to remove staging and service from high-tourist areas. Alipuyu said many operators in Garapan East already perform maintenance and staging in rear yards but that those uses were intended for their own fleets and not for outside vehicles.

After discussion, the committee directed zoning to: (1) work with its board, legal counsel and DPW/DPL to draft a targeted amendment (expected by the end of the year) that would maintain restrictions in Garapan Core and tourist-resort districts but allow limited staging/service in Garapan East; and (2) return to the committee with a short-term, temporary solution for businesses that had been issued notices of noncompliance, with an update requested by the end of the month. The committee then voted to table House Local Bill 24-11 until zoning completes that work. The motion to table was made and seconded; the chair announced the motion carries and the bill is tabled.

The committee also agreed zoning should examine enforcement practices, consider a public complaint portal to prioritize inspections, and coordinate revenue/permits with DPW and DPL where public easements or right-of-way encroachment and unpaid use were identified. Members emphasized that vehicle washing and oil-change activities in tourist corridors should remain restricted because of aesthetics and runoff concerns.

The committee will revisit the bill once zoning files its amendments. No final repeal or adoption occurred at the meeting; the formal action recorded was tableing the bill pending the zoning office’s proposed amendments and a short-term accommodation plan for businesses.

Votes at a glance: Motion to table House Local Bill 24-11 — outcome: tabled (motion carried; individual tallies not specified).

Next steps: zoning to submit draft amendments by the end of the year and to provide a temporary-compliance proposal to the committee by the end of the month.