Salisbury City Council approves amendment on sale of downtown parking lots

SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury City Council approved a resolution Tuesday night that amended the terms of an agreement for the sale and construction of several city owned lots.

Developer Salisbury Town Center Apartments LLC will now be the owners of Lots 1, 11, and 15
and have plans to start up several redevelopment projects.

Residents, business owners, and more were at that work session Tuesday evening voicing their concerns for safety and the impact on downtown foot traffic.

Councilwoman Michelle Gregory says from a legal standpoint, most of the work has been set in stone.
She says Tuesday’s move will only carry that work forward.  “We’re seeing the fruition of many, many years of work and of many councils before us. This has been a plan for a very long time,” Gregory said.

“The information has been out there all this time. For those who say it hasn’t been, I can google the plan.”

Several council members and Mayor Jack Heath spoke about how this project could be the answer to the ongoing affordable housing shortage the city is facing. Residents had concerns about what would be considered affordable, as no rates have been presented to the public.

Councilwoman Gregory says they’re already considering plans on how to keep those costs low. “I think the more housing we bring online through programs like Horizon and Here Is Home, the more we will start to see competition and bringing down the prices in the long run,” Gregory said.

“As someone who knows how valuable housing is, someone who’s lived in subsidized housing and who’s now a homeowner because of it, I really feel passionate to make sure that we have housing available for all our constituents.”

Mayor Jack Heath does plan on hosting a roundtable with downtown business owners to further discuss their concerns for parking.

The city’s Parking Master Plan is expected to be presented at a work session next month.