A Guam Business Magazine series that connects businesses to government agencies
Guam Land Use Commission
- Phone: (671) 649-5263 x3752
- Website: dlm.guam.gov
- No. of staff: Five appointed commissioners; administrative support provided by the Department of Land Management Planning Division.
- Governing legislation: 21 GCA §60101 Chapter 60, 61, 62 and 66; and Public Law 12-200
- Acting Chairman: Tae S. Oh
- Hearings: Every other Thursday
Mission
“The Guam Land Use Commission is a board of the Department of Land Management. … [It is] the overseeing government board for land issues here on Guam that pertain to zone changes, zoning law and any type of variances within the zones.”
Functions and services
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The GLUC issues permits for land development projects with special conditions outside the normal building code such as zone changes, variances, conditional uses, etc.
- The GLUC may regulate at times. In cases where developers do not meet certain conditions agreed upon, they will be called in by the commission and asked to show status and reasoning of delay.
- For projects in excess of $3 million, applications are presented to the Hybrid Land Use Commission which is comprised of the five GLUC board members and four municipal members (to include the mayor of the village the project is proposed for).
Highlights and challenges
While the board has seats for five commissioners, there are currently only three who have been appointed (with a fourth commissioner pending approval at the time this was written). For the board to meet quorum all three commissioners need to be present, which can be a challenge.
“We are private citizens who are volunteering to offer our services to GovGuam, we’re not GovGuam employees. We have our own businesses, lives and at certain times we can’t be there due to personal reasons. If even one of us can’t be there, then we don’t have quorum at this point. We’re trying to get more people confirmed so that we can have that flexibility to have quorum even if we don’t have that full attendance. … Right now, with the quorum issues that we are having … there are a lot of projects backed up in the pipeline.”
Source: Guam Land Use Commission website and Tae S. Oh, acting chairman.
NMI Department of Public Lands Planning Division
- Phone: (670) 234-3751
- Website: dpl.gov.mp
- No. of staff: 10
- Governing legislation: The Department of Public Lands, established under Public Law No. 15-2
- Director: Patricia Rasa
Mission
“Our division adheres to the Department [of Land]’s Mission statement to provide for the efficient and effective services in the management, use, and disposition and development of public lands for the economic and social betterment of the commonwealth,” says Jude Dickinson, planner II for the Planning Division.
Functions and services
- Supports the Homestead, Compliance, Real Estate and Land Claims divisions through the planning, mapping, surveying, project development and maintenance of public lands.
- Performs land use reviews for either government, commercial or private land use requests.
- General mapping and land research, review and certification of cadastral survey plats, and identification of public land appropriate for homestead development.
The Department of Public Lands Planning Division
Highlights and challenges
The division faced a unique challenge in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yutu. The department assisted in providing information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Food and Drug Administration — such as zone elevation and certified maps — for typhoon recovery assistance. “We put up maps in our conference room to help people get their lot, their size, to help them move on with the process to get assisted by FEMA or FDA,” Dickinson said. This is not a typical function of the division, so it took time away from normal responsibilities. “Now [the typhoon recovery process] has slowed down,” he said, allowing the division to get back to its primary functions.
Source: Department of Public Lands Planning Division and Jude Dickinson, planner II.
