All roads lead to Tamuning

What was once a vast idle piece of property in front of the Guam Premiere Outlets has transformed into the island’s dining destination, with a row of new chain restaurants standing along Chalan San Antonio. Applebees, IHOP, Pieology and Boston Pizza are among the latest additions to the village landscape. The construction of modern edifices proved contagious. Old establishments in the neighboring areas are prompted to renovate their decades-old buildings to fit with the cosmopolitanization of Tamuning.

“Now, with our neighbor completing demolition beside us at the corner near Shell Gas station, CAM 5 Real Estate LLC is excited to begin construction of approximately 21,000 square feet of new space perfect for health care, professional offices, financial services, light retail and light food service in this two-story building,” Michael Camacho, president of CAM 5, said on Wednesday, June 29, during the groundbreaking ceremony that launched the second phase of the Camacho Landmark Center project.

The $6.1 million project is the third of an integrated four-building commercial facility, forming part of CAM5’s master plan for the busiest traffic intersection on Guam. “Now we are ready and excited to continue changing the Tamuning village-scape,” Camacho said.

The first Landmark Center building, which is now occupied by the Personal Finance Center, was built in 2012. This project was followed by the renovation of the old Paul’s Plaza building at the ITS Intersection. “The tenant mix has changed to our current tenants, some of which the owners/operators are here today and who are enjoying the benefits of being at the busiest intersection on this island,” Camacho said. “We are very excited to provide a quality facility that improves the aesthetics of Tamuning and improves our levels of service to our clients.”

“What we see here today is the same type of optimism in Hagatna. The revitalization of Hagatna is sponsored by the government. Here, the revitalization is driven by the private sector, by a local family,” Gov. Eddie Calvo said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Overall, the revitalization of Tamuning is a manifestation of Guam’s robust economy, which stood at $5 billion in 2014. According to the Bureau of Economic Statistics 2015 report, the private sector’s fixed investments, or spending by businesses on construction and equipment, increased 6.7 percent, to $1.3 billion. One of the biggest projects completed last year was the $250-million Dusit Thani Resort in Tumon.

New housing projects, including low-cost apartments and luxury condominiums have sprouted in every corner of the village. According to Cornerstone Valuation’s market report last year, the real estate sector began firming up in 2014 and is off to a strong start in 2015, especially in sales of condominiums.

But living in a prime location naturally comes with a steep price. According Cornerstone Valuation, the highest sale in 2015, which closed in September, was a 2,871-square-foot home overlooking Tumon Bay on Paseo de Oro Street, considered one of the island’s premier streets. Down the street, a four-bedroom, 2½-bath home was listed for $1.53 million in early October and already has received several offers, according to the report.

Once a ranching area owned by the Perez, Dungca, Sanchez, Rivera, San Nicolas, Sablan, Palting and Rojas families, Tamuning has changed radically after the war. In the 1960s Tamuning became Guam’s most ethnically diverse community as Chamorros were joined by statesiders, Filipinos, Hawaiians, and Asians who came to Guam with the military, the Civil Service or tourism related industries and settled in this new urban center.

Fast forward: Tamuning is now the heart of commerce and the shopping hub on Guam. Its jurisdiction covers the tourist district of Tumon, and Harmon Industrial Park, which is home to local construction businesses. Collectively, these districts are known as Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon or TATUHA.

Tamuning is not just a center to conduct business; it’s also the place to welcome arriving visitors at the AB Won Pat International Airport; and a place to seek healthcare services at the Guam Memorial Hospital and other medical clinics in the surrounding area.

Standing at the corner of Marine Corps Drive and Chalan San Antonio is the Guam International Trade Center, a famous landmark building where five countries hold consulate offices.

Besides the Camacho Landmark Center, another looming major project in the village is a $421-million commercial complex being proposed by Bridge Capital LLC at the former site of Guam Greyhound Raceway Track. The project consists of twin towers with a total of 590 hotel rooms, an upscale 800,000 sq. ft. retail establishment and a leisure park.

“The Guam Greyhound site is probably the largest undeveloped land plot in the Tamuning area and the proposed $421-million development project would become the second largest mall in Guam after Micronesia Mall,” said Philip James, asset director for Bridge Capital and CEO of Invest Guam Regional Center LLC.

Although project plans are still being finalized, the company targets a groundbreaking next year and anticipates the construction to be completed in two years. Bridge Capital is owned by John Baldwin, a Saipan-based businessman who operated the greyhound park before it shut down in 2008.

Prior to the racetrack’s shutdown, Baldwin proposed an initiative that called for casino legalization, with an accompanying plan to operate a gaming facility at the Tamuning park and a generous offer to give the government of Guam $100 million in gaming taxes in advance. The controversial project fell through as Guam voters rejected the casino initiative. Baldwin’s repeated attempts to get casino operations legalized on Guam were defeated in succeeding plebiscites.

The company plans to lure investors through the EB-5 visa program to meet its capital requirements for the project.

A project of this magnitude is usually met with opposition from village residents, who traditionally prefer to keep their neighborhoods in low profile with minimal traffic.

But Calvo said the proposed project would make good use of the long abandoned property. “It’s unused and in disrepair,” he said, “Obviously, I’d like to see improvements in the quality of life for the island. What I see so far, when it comes to additional outlets, is economic vibrancy.”

While she welcomes new developments in her village, Tamuning Mayor Louise Rivera said the community needs to brace for potential social impact.

The experience of many cities in the world shows economic growth entails increased urbanization. Tamuning—or the entire island of Guam, for that matter, is no exception.

Being the core of commerce on Guam, Tamuning is naturally the fastest growing village on island. Historical population indicates a dramatic increase over the last 10 years. As of the 2010 US Census, there were 19,685 residents living in the Tamuning, Tumon, Harmon village.

“That was from 2010 census,” Rivera said. “The population of Tamuning must have grown much bigger considering the new housing developments, apartments and condominiums that have been developed in recent years. It could be over 20,000 by now.”

Rivera said her office is hoping to get a bigger budget next year to enable her to increase her staff, who will attend to a bigger demand for service.

New projects are anticipated to bring hundreds of workers to the village. The increased population will result in busier road traffic and a potential toll of public safety, which will require a beef-up to law enforcement.

“We are concerned. Right now, traffic has been busy all over Tamuning,” Rivera said. “We are working with the Department of Public Works and Highway Safety Division to help alleviate the traffic situation.”

As long as potential social problems are duly addressed, Rivera said she has no problem seeing her village further turn into a typically busy city. “I think it’s wonderful that all these developments are coming up.”

http://www.postguam.com/news/local/all-roads-lead-to-tamuning/article_43b04dca-40b7-11e6-92fb-3bf23b8e50b7.html

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