Planning commission recommends sale of one borough lot to neighboring owners, declines to advance larger subdivision proposal

The Petersburg Borough Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended that the borough assembly approve the direct sale of a borough-owned lot to the Mazzella family, and declined to advance a separate application from Greg and Heidi Johnson to purchase and develop a larger set of borough-owned lots.

The commission made a formal recommendation that “Lot 8, Lot 255, Plat 69-53 be approved for sale to the Mazzellas,” and approved that recommendation by roll call. Commissioners later considered an application from Greg and Heidi Johnson for multiple lots in the Scenic View/Northeast subdivisions but, after public testimony and prolonged discussion about notice, infrastructure and the applicants’ lack of a detailed plan, the motion on the Johnson application was declared “dead” and no recommendation was forwarded to the assembly.

The decisions matter to neighbors because both applications involve borough-owned parcels directly adjacent to private homes. Neighbors urged the commission to sell lots individually so adjacent property owners would have a fair chance to acquire them, and raised concerns about whether…