Petersburg’s Borough Assembly will decide today whether to sell seven borough-owned lots to a company looking to develop a subdivision. Skylark Park LLC plans to add roads and utilities and then sell the lots as-is, or with manufactured homes.
Skylark has been trying to buy the land for more than a year. Last fall the process fell apart after the company protested that the land was too expensive. Ambre Burrell co-owns the company. She said at the time the price would make the improved lots unaffordable for potential buyers, but municipal code didn’t allow the borough to sell its land to private businesses at below assessed value.
Borough officials, concerned with Petersburg’s housing shortage, drafted new language making it possible to sell the land at below assessed value if the development will benefit the public. The assembly approved the change in March of this year.
Last month the Petersburg Planning Commission recommended the sale of the lots. Now it’s up to the borough assembly to decide whether the project meets the borough definition of a benefit to the public. If so, they’ll vote on whether to sell the land to Skylark Park. If they vote to move ahead with the sale, they’ll have to decide whether it should be by public auction, or by direct negotiation with Borough Manager Steve Geisbrecht. He’s recommending the assembly approve a sale by direct negotiation. Geisbrecht said he’d like to start the negotiations at 50% of the appraised value of the land – the combined price for all seven lots would be $55,500.
If the assembly chooses to go that route, they’ll vote at a future meeting whether to approve the price Geisbrecht negotiates with Skylark Park.
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will meet at 12 p.m. in assembly chambers today. KFSK will broadcast the meeting live.
