Members of the Mangilao Municipal Planning Council unanimously decided to support the rezoning of one of the lots designated for the medical complex project in their village during a meeting Wednesday night. The Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority is looking to rezone the property from agricultural to public facility, which is needed to get infrastructure projects on the site underway.
A resolution expressing the council's support will be sent to the Guam Land Use Commission, which will have a final determination on the rezoning application.
The property is called Lot 5280-3, which is the first piece of private property that GHURA purchased for the medical complex project. It initially belonged to the estate of Catalina Eclavea Camacho. GHURA has also purchased property in Mangilao from the estate of Joaquin Crisostomo Cruz and is seeking to condemn additional property in the village through eminent domain.
"We're looking to rezone just this," GHURA Deputy Directory Fernando Esteves said Wednesday, referring to Lot 5280-3, during a public hearing portion for the zone change application at the Mangilao Senior Center, before the municipal planning council proceeded with its meeting and ultimately supported the change.
Esteves added that although GHURA will need to rezone other properties in the future, the reason they are pursuing the rezone for Lot 5280-3 now is because the money to pay for the infrastructure upgrades has to be spent by the end of December 2026.
"So we basically have one shot at it. The money can't go anywhere because it's obligated through the feds for this. It can't be repurposed for any other purpose. So it's this or nothing," Esteves added.
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, or CSLFRF, moneys serve as the funding source for the infrastructure projects. This is the same source that GHURA used for its property purchases, and would also be used to compensate owners whose properties the agency is looking to condemn.
CSLFRF funds need to be expended by Dec. 31, 2026.
Infrastructure projects to be done on and around Lot 5280-3 are specifically funded by CLSFRF moneys awarded to the Guam Economic Development Authority through an interagency agreement with the Department of Administration.
The Consolidated Commission on Utilities, the governing body behind the Guam Waterworks Authority and Guam Power Authority, authorized both utilities to enter into subgrant agreements with GEDA for the utility infrastructure projects. But these projects aren’t limited to just the medical complex, and are intended to support surrounding communities as well.
Municipal council member Dominic Muña said Wednesday night that he wanted agencies to communicate well with residents once projects begin.
"And it is my hope that these agencies don't rely on the mayor's office to do it, that these agencies do their public outreach also ... the question about will the construction be on the side of the road, or will the construction impede the road of Route 15. Things like that. So good communication, good public information from all agencies and from the mayor's office, but not just the mayor's office. Inform the community," Muña said.
The projected start date for the projects is the end of the year to the start of next year, according to discussions Wednesday night.
While GHURA goes through the zone change process for Lot 5280-3, the agency and the governor are dealing with a pending case at the District Court of Guam. The attorney general filed the suit over the use of CLFRF moneys for medical complex property acquisitions, as well as other issues, including the alleged violation of Guam’s eminent domain laws.
GHURA is also facing opposition from property owners on lots it's seeking to condemn.