MRDC hires local consultant to help with permitting process

Marianas Resort and Development Co., Inc. on Tuesday signed a consultancy contract with Conrad S. Hofschneider to assist the company with its planned resort development project on Tinian.

No less than chairman and CEO Kung Yun Lee represented the company in the signing of the pact and said he is excited about the development and the current pace of the project.

Lee said he is looking forward to completing all of the government formalities and requirements before beginning with the construction of the golf course and the hotel and casino.

The contract will call on Hofschneider to focus primarily on the environmental and permitting necessary for MRDC to acquire a Coastal Resources Management major site permit.

In addition, Hofschneider will work toward applying for and acquiring necessary permits from earthmoving to building permit, to waste water treatment plant, and groundwater management plans and others.

MRDC plans to construct the 405-room hotel casino Matua Bay Resort on the island. Its amenities include restaurants, spas, shopping arcade, and a convention facility.

The initial phase of the project also includes an 18-hole championship golf course, a first for Tinian.

MRDC has commissioned renowned architect Dr. Shin Takamatsu of Takamatsu Architectural & Associates Co., Ltd., an architectural design firm from Japan, to design the hotel casino resort.

The design will emphasize advanced technologies in resource conservation. The 18-hole championship golf course, meanwhile, will be designed by Toshio Yamaga of Hida Design Company Ltd., whose firm is also from Japan. Conceptual designs for the hotel casino and the golf course have been completed.

Hofschneider will also be working closely with the designers and engineers to enable the implementation of the permits and regulatory requirements into the design development. It is expected that environmental study will be completed within the next several months.

Matua Bay Resort is a project pushed since 2005 by MRDC, a Korean firm based in Guam.

The project involves two phases. The first phase will include the construction of 500 hotel rooms and an 18-hole golf course at an estimated cost of $179 million.

MRDC is expected to make an additional investment of $130 million for the Phase II of the project, which will include the completion of the facility.