Assembly approves negotiation to sell nine borough lots to Greg and Heidi Johnson after debate over Planning Commission process

The Petersburg Borough Assembly on April 21 voted to advance a land-purchase application from Greg and Heidi Johnson and directed the borough manager to negotiate the sale terms.

The assembly vote followed lengthy discussion about procedural fairness after the Planning Commission failed to obtain a second on the Johnson application at its March 11 meeting. Member Newman, speaking on the assembly floor, criticized the Planning Commission’s handling of the application and urged the assembly to proceed. “First off, I would like to say that as an, as Assembly members, we are tasked with the social obligation or responsibility to look at things objectively and not subjectively,” Newman said, adding his view that the Johnsons’ proposal met the housing needs identified in the borough’s housing needs assessment.

The ordinance-like application involves…