NEWS: Land on the Way: CLTC Preparing 7,500 Acres for Residential and Agricultural Leases

“I am very excited about this news. Thousands of people who have waited years for land soon will have their dreams answered. Since 1995, the CLTC and other land agencies have struggled to keep up with its mandates.  We still have a ways to go, but our land agencies have come a long way and helped a lot of families.  Dreams are being built with residential and agricultural leases.  Families are being made whole with the return of their ancestral lands.  We will continue this momentum and focus on making the process easier for our families, and continue to address the list of CLTC applicants who have been waiting for their piece of paradise for nearly 20 years.” — Governor Eddie Baza Calvo
 
Thousands of acres will be given to hundreds of families under Gov. Calvo   
7,492 new acres of unregistered government land have been identified and will be leased by the Chamorro Land Trust Commission following a lengthy preparation process.
 
CLTC is anticipating the transfer of these properties to the government of Guam through the Land Registration Process. Once the process is finalized, the land will be decreed to the Department of Land Management, which would then enable CLTC to survey the lots, install easements, place infrastructure, and then lease the lots.
 
DLM is compiling a map of GovGuam easements surrounding CLTC’s current and future properties – in efforts to obtain permits from regulatory agencies to clear easements that would allow lessors safe access to their lots under DLM’s purview.
 
Once the easements are in, CLTC will install infrastructure so the lots will be ready for lease.
 
Recent efforts­­­ helped 21 families lease land                                                                    
In just the past two weeks, the Chamorro Land Trust Commission has signed 21 leases (14 residential and 7 agricultural), helping Guamanians with their dreams of homeownership and self-sufficiency.  These 21 acres add to the other leases approved by the Calvo Tenorio administration since Fiscal Year 2011.  These include:

• 117 residential leases
• 95 agricultural leases

 
The Chamorro Land Trust is just one component of the Department of Land Management, the overall land agency in the government that also includes the Guam Ancestral Lands Commission.  The GALC, since 2011, has returned approximately 879 acres to 716 families and heirs of property owners who have waited decades for their land to be returned.
 
In addition to these activities, the Land for the Landless Program deeded a total 45 acres of land to eligible individuals.  This program is also increasing its enforcement activities, working with applicants who are unable to meet the obligations of their contract.  CTLC is still in the process of collecting revenues from the 443 Land for the Landless unpaid accounts.
 
Better quality, better service                                                                                    
Under the Calvo Tenorio Administration, CLTC, GALC, and DLM have taken great strides to improve customer service.  These improvements include:
 

• Better management of client records and improved organization of CLTC inventory.
• Addressing irregularities in its “first come, first serve” policy, and identifying a list of bypassed recipients on the 1995 application listing.  During the Calvo administration, CLTC is aggressively addressing this matter by locating these recipients and bringing them to the forefront of the lease program.
• Identifying glitches in its records program, standardizing files, and standardizing operating procedures on client/recipient files.

 
Singular database will bring government, private surveyors on same page   
The Chamorro Land Trust Commission is also working to implement a singular “tracking process” for all agents involved in processing maps including, CLTC staff, land agents, private surveyors, and surveyor representatives. This new process will identify issues relative to the assessment and approval of maps and increase the Commission’s efficiency, effectiveness, and workflow. This includes the adoption of internal policies that addresses past and current issues surrounding the CLTC maps review.
 
The Department of Land Management’s Survey Division is assisting CLTC in enforcing policies to hold private surveyors accountable for the late submission of outstanding survey maps.
 
Meanwhile, CLTC and DLM are assessing their capabilities of deriving master plans for residential subdivisions and other potential land uses.  This would allow CLTC to evaluate its current properties and maximize the use of its resources.
 

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