The focus of the past Slippery Rock Borough Council meetings has been resolved, with the council announcing they will be selling the vacant lot on 100 S Main St. to Great Living LLC.
The borough has been trying to sell the lot for over a year, with various viewpoints from citizens and council members alike.
The lot was known for housing First National Bank until its destruction several years ago. Recently, it has been used as a public space for hosting events.
The borough began to accept sealed bids on the lot in March 2024. Businesses that could be built on the lot included eateries, offices, residential units, and banks.
At the time of the bidding, some citizens began to speak out against the sale of the lot. Citizens said the lot was a place of community, where people got together for special events.
In April 2024, after receiving no bids on the lot, Solicitor Rebecca Black announced she reached out to the State Association of Boroughs to find laws relating to action to take when the borough receives one or no bids.
Citing the Trade and Commerce Volume of the Pennsylvania Statutes section 1641 titled “Nonreceipt of bids”, Black said that in the current situation of no bids, the borough may advertise again. After the second advertisement, if no bids are received for 15 days, the borough may engage in private negotiation.
Through efforts over the last year, the borough continued to make progress and finally advertised a new offer.
At the March 18 meeting, the council announced they would sell the lot to Great Living LLC for $255,000 for mixed-use purposes. Great Living LLC plans to use the property for residential units and businesses.
While some council members expressed gratitude after finding a buyer after over a year of trying to sell the lot, some community members pushed back.
At the April 1 council meeting, a citizen requested the council share information about both offers on the lot to clear up hearsay in the community.
Black responded by saying there are not technically two offers on the lot. Both parties showed interest after the offer period had closed. The borough was granted an exception to the general bidding policy by the Association of State Boroughs under 73 Pennsylvania Statute 1641.1, which allowed the borough to engage in private negotiation for the property.
“The requirements under that specific statute indicate that once you engage in private negotiation and you have some sale that you’re considering, you then make the terms of that public,” Black said, referring to information such as the sale price and parties of the sale.
Before the prior meeting, the borough publicly announced it was utilizing this exception under the statute. The borough cannot sign to sell the property for 30 days under the terms of the statute.
“If the borough were to say ‘Here’s what this party was willing to do, here’s what that party was willing to do, ’ you’re now going to lose all of your offers,” Black said. “You lose any competitive advantage that you would’ve had previously, which is why it goes behind closed doors for the original negotiation for a private negotiation.”
Council member Alex Tuten spoke in regards to the conversation of whether or not to sell the lot.
“There was a lot of public discussion about it, and ultimately, the council voted to sell it. So that’s no longer a discussion, now the objective is what would be the best place there,” she said.
She also said that anyone is welcome to talk to members of the council about the topic, especially due to the recent public announcement of the sale.
“I know the community enjoys that open space, and I feel like this will be something the community will also enjoy, and that was important to me,” she said.
A representative of NexTier Bank attended the April 1 council meeting to discuss the possibility of renegotiating and providing clarification about their offer on the lot. He provided that their offer on the lot was $300,000.
Noting the opinion of members of the public wanting to preserve the community space, NexTier offered their stance. “I think if you look at the history of NexTier Bank, we thrive in small communities like this; we always try to partner with the community,” the representative said.
Due to engaging in private negotiation with Great Living LLC, the council said they cannot renegotiate NexTier Bank’s offer at this time because of the terms of the statute they are working under.
Concerns that some council members shared about NexTier Bank occupying the lot included traffic congestion because of their drive through, ongoing maintenance, and changing zoning approvals.
When asked if he had any comment on the sale of the lot, Borough Manager Christian Laskey responded, “I’m just here to facilitate their business. I am here to remain neutral.”
