SNILD confirms Alinas’ appointment to Zoning Board

The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation unanimously confirmed Eleanor Alinas’ appointment to the Commonwealth Zoning board.

Last Friday, during a SNILD special session, members of the delegation voted in favor of confirming Alinas’ nomination to serve as the Zoning board’s newest board member.

Alinas, who was present with her friends and family, was ecstatic about her confirmation.

In an interview with Alinas, she said she is honored and excited to take on her new role and to represent small business owners like herself.

“I’m truly honored and humbled by all the support I’ve gotten. I am excited to make my contribution to bettering the Zoning process for small businesses. My concern is, as a representative of the business community, I am hoping to somehow be a voice for our business sector and possibly make the process smoother for our business community members,” she said.

When asked what her first order of business would be as a new Zoning board member, Alinas said she intends to advocate for a thorough review of the current Zoning laws.

“One of the first things I want to do as a Zoning board member is to see if we can go back and review the Zoning law. The Zoning law in and of itself has certain provisions that don’t apply to us,” she said.

“In addition, there are provisions that don’t coincide with other agencies. For example, the Cannabis Law. Under the law, you can’t have a cannabis establishment within 150 feet from churches and schools, however, the Zoning law says 300 feet. There’s a blur as far as which law to follow. So, for small businesses, there’s that question of ‘which law do I abide by.’ So, I think that’s what I’m going to be advocating for, a thorough review of the Zoning laws (to begin with),” she added.

Alinas, who was nominated by Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, is the president of local catering company Kalayaan Inc.