Petersburg assembly members continued considering a potential new zoning overlay during their meeting on April 21. Adopting the long-anticipated zoning law would create a dedicated marine industrial overlay (MIO) zone.
Property zoning laws regulate how an area is used. According to the Petersburg Borough, zone overlays are “special zoning subdistricts” that are placed over an area’s existing zoning in order to change how that portion of the space is used.
In this case, putting the MIO zoning into place on the borough’s tidelands would help make sure marine property is used for marine purposes by enforcing certain restrictions.
The new potential zoning would apply to tideland properties between South Harbor and the ferry terminal, as well as at the Scow Bay turnaround.
Harbor Department staff and members of the harbor advisory board worked to develop this proposed zoning overlay for over a year, ever since the borough sold some of its leased tideland properties on Dock Street for the first time to local buyers Wikan Enterprises in 2023 and Island Refrigeration in 2024. The landmark sales sparked conversation, and concern, about preserving the Petersburg Borough’s waterfront for maritime uses.
The assembly voted unanimously in support of the MIO zone earlier in April, but they need to approve it at least three times total before it can officially become law.
Assembly members passed the ordinance for the second time during the April 21 meeting. A recording of the meeting is available in the KFSK borough assembly archives.
