On Oct. 20, 2025, the Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a resolution authorizing the sale of borough land to Skylark Park LLC for a public-benefit residential development and adopted an amendment extending the contract closing period to 60 days.

Assemblymember Stan Greger moved an amendment to change the closing period language on page 9, paragraph 11, to read that closing shall occur within 60 days of enactment of a rezoning ordinance, no sooner than Jan. 5, 2026, unless extended by mutual agreement. The amendment passed on a roll call vote, 6-0. The underlying resolution to sell borough land for the public-benefit project also passed following the amendment.

Why it matters: The transaction is intended to support new, smaller-scale residential development intended to address Petersburg’s housing shortage. The project and the sale have been before the borough’s planning commission and assembly repeatedly since 2023, and the assembly adopted a 2024 ordinance permitting sale of borough property for “public benefit” residential developments larger than five parcels.

Assemblymember Stan Greger, who recommended the amendment, said the project is “a great project for the community” and moved the language change to allow modestly more time for closing after the rezone. Kirk Grama, reading a staff chronology into the record, summarized the application history: the original application arrived in August 2023; the planning commission and assembly considered rezones and sales through late 2023 and 2024; the assembly passed an ordinance in February 2024 to permit sales for public-benefit residential development; a market appraisal was obtained; negotiations resumed and final terms were drafted in mid‑2025. Grama told the assembly the planning commission had held five hearings and the issue had been discussed at 10 prior assembly meetings before the October 2025 action.

The resolution and related rezone follow the borough’s public-benefit procedure rather than a standard public sale. The amended closing timetable ties completion to the date the assembly enacts the rezoning ordinance required for the project. The amendment sets a closing no sooner than Jan. 5, 2026, but allows additional time by mutual agreement.

What comes next: Per the amended language, closing will follow the assembly’s enactment of the required rezoning ordinance and any additional negotiations the borough manager and the buyer agree to. The assembly did not set a specific closing date beyond the ordinance-linked timetable.

Provenance: The assembly opened the public-hearing item for Skylark Park and discussed the resolution and amendment during the Oct. 20 meeting; staff read a multi-year chronology of prior hearings and ordinance actions before the amendment vote.