Ronghui Market, Fu Bang closing over DPW right-of-way order

Ronghui Market and its sister business, Fu Bang Restaurant, are shutting down not because of a slowing CNMI economy, but due to a “wrong way” issue—literally—after the Department of Public Works ordered the removal of structures encroaching on a public right-of-way.

The businesses, which have operated along Beach Road for over three decades, will close March 31, according to store manager Mercy Xu.

“DPW said this building was built on a public road. Since last year, we tried to renew our certificate of compliance, but the officer told us we cannot,” she said.

Xu said the development caught them off guard, especially given the property’s long history. “This building has been here more than 30 years. I’m really surprised because we talked to the owner, and they said there was a land exchange back in 2010,” she said. “But when I asked DPW, they told me they’re still processing these cases.”

A DPW notice issued March 22, 2024, identified “multiple permanent building structures…encroaching onto Public Right-of-Way easement” along an 8-foot-wide access road in Chalan Kanoa. The agency said it had conducted extensive investigations and determined that removing the encroachments was the only viable solution to restore access and ensure safety for adjacent properties.

“The Public Right-of-Way is required to be cleared…providing the adjacent private properties access with safety in mind,” the notice stated, adding that unresolved encroachments could encourage further intrusion onto public land.

DPW also recommended full demolition and reconstruction of affected structures to meet building and zoning requirements, noting that partial removal may compromise structural integrity.

For Ronghui Market, the order effectively meant closing shop. “We’re closing, and everything is 50% off until March 31,” Xu said. “If there’s something left over, we will give it to our neighbors—free gift.”

Fu Bang Restaurant, known for its Chinese takeout, will close the same day. Xu said the family is now looking ahead to relocating off-island. “Maybe we will go to the [United] States—my husband and my sister. That’s our plan,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who supported us these past five or six years. Hopefully, we can meet again in the future.”

In an ironic twist, the business name now reads like a quiet premonition—Ronghui sounding like “wrong way”—as a right-of-way issue ends more than 30 years of operations for two businesses in Chalan Kanoa.