In the wake of community leaders lamenting the state of Garapan’s tourist district, the Commonwealth Zoning Board confirmed there are currently 12 blighted properties in the area.
“Approximately, we have in our inventory within the Garapan Core area—our tourist district, Garapan Hotel Street—approximately 12. But some have already complied, which is good,” Zoning acting administrator Yubert Alepuyo told Marianas Press during a break in a Zoning special meeting on Dec. 4 at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe.
He added that of the 12 blighted property owners, only three have yet to comply with Saipan Local Law 20-25.
“It’s because the property owners or those leasing are going through court litigation,” Alepuyo said.
Saipan Local Law 20-25, or the Blighted Property Maintenance Act of 2018, holds property owners accountable for maintaining vacant and blighted properties in Saipan to protect public health, safety, and property values.
The law requires owners to secure and maintain these properties, with enforcement handled by the Zoning Office. The goal is to improve the community’s quality of life and economic opportunities by addressing structures that are dilapidated, damaged, or neglected.
Alepuyo stressed that the Garapan Core is vital to the CNMI’s lone economic driver—tourism—and said Zoning is doing everything it can to rid the area of blighted properties.
“I know that the Garapan Core or Hotel Street is our crown jewel, and the government is really doing its very best to maintain all its aesthetics and the existing building conditions so they don’t deteriorate any further.”
To that end, Zoning created an inventory for staff to visit, scan, assess, and inspect the area to gather land ownership information for blighted properties—not only in the Garapan Core, but across the CNMI.
“We are currently working with the property owners to rectify the nuisance issue. I know it’s not a perfect time right now, knowing the economic recession, but they are slowly working toward complying—keeping the property clean, making sure the buildings are maintained, and making sure they’re properly secured so they are not being broken into by displaced people,” Alepuyo said.
He admitted that blighted properties are one of Zoning’s biggest challenges, saying it’s “never an easy task, an easy project to begin with. But I just want to thank all the property owners, the public, and the government for pitching in and helping out, and also understanding the real intention behind the project... Without their cooperation and all the help that we could get, this project would not be possible.”
Alepuyo also thanked former Zoning administrator Therese Ogumoro for teaching him the ropes, especially when dealing with owners of blighted properties.
“We sit down and try to find a way to work within their means. Because again, nothing is going to be accomplished or achieved if we don’t have this cooperation with the lessees, the responsible parties, the property owners. And this applies across the board in all of our enforcement—not just blight, but anything where people are in violation. We sit, we talk, and we try to find a way to work with them,” he said.
Meanwhile, during the special meeting itself, Zoning split its decisions on two business applications—stalling one over a basic compliance lapse while swiftly approving another tied to the cannabis industry’s slow-moving regulatory framework.
Regal Corp.’s bid to legitimize a long-operating vehicle repair shop in Garapan hit an immediate procedural snag when board member Eleanor Alinas disclosed she never received the legally required notice as an adjoining landowner. Regal president, vice president, and treasurer Shaohong C. Walker, said she attempted to track down the owner of the vacant, fenced lot but could not locate contact information. Zoning law, however, places the burden squarely on the applicant.
The board unanimously voted to defer the case until Regal properly notifies all owners within 300 feet and resubmits updated corporate documents. The shop—which also recently cleared a notice-of-violation fine for junked vehicles and unpermitted operations—will have to return at a future hearing.
In contrast, Top Shelf LLC’s application to operate a solventless cannabis processing facility sailed through. The company sought a conditional use permit for a single 40-foot container already outfitted for hash extraction on its existing grow property. While the processing function has been active for more than a year, a 2024 board resolution created a new zoning category for “cannabis manufacturing/processing,” forcing Top Shelf to reapply.
Board members showed frustration with the redundancy of requiring separate hearings for cultivation, processing, retail, and lounges—each of which also requires separate Commonwealth Cannabis Commission licensing. But with no objections from neighbors, no environmental concerns, and full notice compliance, the board voted unanimously to approve.
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