A proposal to turn Chamorro Land Trust property at Ypao Point into a project to assist the homeless received some attention recently.
Chamorro Land Trust Commission administrator Jack Hattig III spoke with Newstalk K57’s Patti Arroyo about that.
The proposal aims to both assist the homeless and develop a commercial venture.
Although many would consider this a noble cause, the Commission also has to consider the commercial use of Land Trust property in light of Public Law 33-95.
That’s the 2015 law that aims to lease Land Trust properties for commercial activities to generate revenue.
The revenue is to provide land surveys and infrastructure for residential and agricultural Land Trust tracts.
As the commission fields other proposals for the land, Hattig said the commission recently joined forces with GEDA to help find the best use for the property.
“We have the assistance of the Guam Economic Development Authority…I think as recently as 2018, if I’m not mistaken. So what we can do is we can engage more with GEDA in the coming year, obviously, on some ideas on perhaps how to market the property, so that we could attract a developer or a proposal, that would be really beneficial,” Hattig said.
With such a highly valued piece of land, some express skepticism that devoting it to an admittedly admirable purpose would be the best use of it since other land-owners would benefit from the revenue that it generates.
Hattig said although the proposal was unusual the commission remains open to all sorts of possibilities.
“On its face, obviously, it doesn’t look sexy, obviously. It doesn’t look like most business proposals that you would probably see for this particular property. But the commission has maintained that it will listen to every opportunity,” Hattig said.
Hattig said it was suggested at a recent commission meeting that a committee be formed to explore the potential for the project.
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