Saipan zoning office reports permit volumes, seeks larger budget and plans law amendments

Zoning Administrator Theresa Gumrow told the House delegation that the Commonwealth Zoning Board and zoning office are tracking steady permitting workloads while preparing proposed amendments to the Saipan Zoning Law of 2013 and requesting additional funding to sustain operations.

"On behalf of the Commonwealth zoning board and the zoning office staff, we wanna thank you for this opportunity to present to you today," Gumrow said during the presentation. She later asked the delegation to consider increasing the office's annual appropriation above the current $75,000 to help fund staffing, enforcement vehicles and other needs.

The office presented comparative permitting figures showing 3,552 applications in fiscal year 2024 (about 296 per month and roughly 15 permits per day) and 2,055 applications in fiscal year 2025 through April (a seven-month span the office said was equivalent to roughly 13–15 permits per day). Permit types tracked by the office include zoning permits, verifications of nonconforming use, variances, temporary single-family clearances, minor and major site plans, home business permits and conditional uses. The presentation also noted about 60 single-family dwelling applications in fiscal 2025, of which 38 were associated with the CDBG-DR home-buyer program.

Gumrow described the zoning office's review of the Saipan Zoning Law, which the presentation said contains 14 articles covering definitions, zoning districts and allowable uses, development standards (setbacks, lot width, parking and landscaping), conditional-use procedures, appeals and the official 29-layer color-coded zoning map used to guide staff review. The office said it is preparing a set of proposed amendments that will be released for public comment and later transmitted to the delegation for consideration.

The presentation listed recent board actions and administrative steps, including a waiver of parking requirements in Garapan Core and Garapan East under Zoning Board Resolution 2024-702 (August 2024) and the removal of certain ground signs under Zoning Board Resolution 2023-1204 (December 2023). Gumrow also described projects the office plans to pursue, such as activating regulations on ATV/UTV/motorcycle rentals in sensitive districts and convening a working group to discuss a neighborhood master plan emphasizing parks, walkways and public transport.

On enforcement and outreach, the office reported 909 enforcement activities in fiscal 2024 (citizen complaints, permit violations, junk vehicles, routine village inspections, blighted properties and notices of violation). The presentation said the zoning staff has conducted village outreach meetings and a public campaign on blight and nuisance issues beginning late 2023.

Asked by delegation members about office capacity and technical review of plans, Gumrow acknowledged the need for additional staff and equipment. She said the office's permitting and enforcement sections handle the bulk of reviews and inspections and that staff are trained to read site plans, setbacks, parking and driveway layouts; she said the office relies on outside professional review as needed for specialized structural engineering issues.

The presentation concluded with a request that the delegation consider increasing the office's annual appropriation to help fund additional permitting and enforcement staff, equipment and vehicles needed to sustain rising workloads.

Ending: The zoning office said it will share documentation, provide a copy of the current zoning law and the proposed amendment package when ready, and return to the delegation later this year for review of the draft amendments and map changes.