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DPL urged: Stop new public land leases
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Posted on May 29 2008
The Senate has urged the Department of Public Lands to hold off any new public land leases on Saipan while there are pending applications for village homesteads.
The resolution, adopted by the Upper House, said that new public land leases must be suspended so homestead applicants can be entertained.
The original resolution proposed to include Tinian and Rota but Sen. Paterno Hocog asked that the two senatorial districts be removed. Sen. Joseph Mendiola agreed, saying that a suspension of public land leases may jeopardize Tinian and Rota’s efforts to attract developers to stir up their economies.
There are approximately 4,000 homestead applicants waiting for their homestead lot assignments.
“While DPL continues to lease public lands, homestead applicants are left in a predicament of possibly not having homestead development to build upon and raise their families,” the resolution stated.
“The need to suspend new public land leases in the Third Senatorial District by DPL is necessary in order to entertain the present outstanding homestead applicants who continue to be placed on the wait list due to unidentified land resources,” it added.
DPL has two types of homestead programs—the village and agricultural homestead programs. The village homestead program allows eligible applicants ample public land lot for the construction of a residential dwelling. The agricultural homestead program allows eligible applicants a sizable lot for the development and maintenance of farms crops.
