Petersburg Planning Commission roundup: massage CUP approved, three land sales recommended, Scow Bay rock pits out of wireless overlay

The Petersburg Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for a home-based massage therapy business, recommended three borough land actions, and pulled the Scow Bay rock pit areas from a proposed wireless communications overlay Tuesday after residents raised drinking-water concerns.

Suzanne Webb received approval to operate her massage therapy practice from her home at 500 Utamack Street, with traffic limited to one or two vehicles per day. Webb previously ran a massage business in the PIA building.

The commission recommended the assembly approve the sale of Government Lots 26 and 27 to Skylark Park, conditioned on rezoning from open space recreation to single-family mobile home — extending the existing trailer park. Commissioners also recommended approval of Brian Newman's purchase of borough property at 1205 Lake Street and a special use permit for 10,000 square feet of undeveloped right-of-way for access. Newman plans to build using a private floating road until the area develops further.

The wireless overlay drew the most substantive discussion. Commissioners pulled the Scow Bay rock pit areas after residents raised concerns about construction impacts on a creek historically used for drinking water. One commissioner, whose in-laws live in Scow Bay, said construction muddies the creek they had used for well water. "They are hoping to preserve that as much as possible and not include the rock pits in the overlay," she said. She noted the sites would have limited tower-company use anyway since towers couldn't be placed there until the pits were depleted.

Commissioners also flagged a 110% setback requirement — designed to keep towers from falling outside property lines if they collapse — as a key feature. "That's my favorite part of the ordinance, I think, is the 110%," one commissioner said.

The commission held the overlay decision until August, after the Assembly completes three readings of a revised wireless tower ordinance. The previous version stalled on a 3-3 Assembly tie in May; the revised version is scheduled for first reading June 15 with a July public hearing.