Maryland DHCD funding supports several big projects around Salisbury

SALISBURY, Md. – Several projects around Salisbury are seeing state support. Tuesday, Maryland’s top housing and community development officials visited to grant checks and wishes. The projects cover needs ranging from health care to internet connectivity to housing. They’re all aimed at improving the everyday lives of Salisbury residents.

A New Care Connection

The first stop was at 805 East Church Street—the former Hotel Ester site. Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Secretary Jake Day presented a $1 million check toward the project.

TidalHealth has already broken ground there on a brand new, state-of-the-art internal medicine clinic. Hospital officials say the facility will be walkable, and a one-stop-shop. Services will include chronic disease management, nutrition, lab work, and help with finances or insurance.

“It will be 17,000 square feet of primary care, but also will have behavioral health services, social services, and pharmacy services and education,” said Dr. Simona Eng, Associate Vice President of Medical Education and the designated institutional official. “This allows the community, which is underserved, to have access.”

Change on Church Street

Dr. Karinnet Montero Diaz is the first medical resident to sign on at the facility. She says she is excited to meet the neighborhood’s residents and help them achieve their health goals.

“I want them to think of me as one of their neighbors that just happens to have a set of skills that can help,” Dr. Montero Diaz said. “If you see us around and you need to talk or anything, please just come along and any of us will be happy to help you.”

Secretary Day is the former mayor of Salisbury. He says improving services and access for the Church Street neighborhood has been a priority for the City for years.

“What you see here is another way that we can participate through the SEED grant, which is a partnership with TidalHealth,” said Secretary Day. “This is a neighborhood where people need access to affordable healthcare, just like they need access to affordable housing.”

Beefing Up Broadband

Officials also stopped on North Park Drive, near the Tilghman Memorial Dog Park. That’s where work on internet connectivity is getting underway.

“We’re putting in a two-and-a-half inch conduit, and we’ll be running down North Park Drive, hooking up a couple of pump stations,” said Brett Davis of Simple Fiber. “And then, we’re ultimately running to one of our commercial customers down here.”

The work is part of joint efforts to improve local connectivity, between Simple Fiber, Choptank Fiber, Comcast, and Talkie Fiber. Efforts are being supported by $1,601,060 from Maryland DHCD.

Davis says his crews are about six to twelve months from having all the work wrapped up. Once it is complete, Wicomico County will be in line to be the second area in the state, after Baltimore City, to have 100% internet connectivity.

Beyond that, Davis says the project is creating a sense of competition for larger internet service providers, and a better pool of options for local customers. And, he wants to hear from stakeholders about their needs directly.

“What you’ve had in the past is monopolies that have really made it so that there is no need to upgrade service, and really no reason to lower prices,” Davis said. “We can do so many different things with this product, so our biggest thing is hearing from the public.”

Housing Matters

Meanwhile on West Main Street, SBY Market Center is getting a big boost from DHCD. Secretary Day awarded the total $25 million initiative with $18,598,710.

Green Street Housing and Harkins are heading up construction. Tom Ayd, Green Street Housing Principal, says they’re working to bring 51 apartments online, overtop of 11,000 square feet of market space. The facility will include a fitness center, a business center, and outdoor community spaces.

Some of the apartments at SBY Market Center will be “deeply affordable,” says Secretary Day. He teased living spaces available for about 30- to 40% of the area’s median income.

“With the tax credit program, they encourage a high degree of amenity built in, safety features, of durability,” Ayd said, “We’re building these assets not for a commercial return. It’s not about how quickly can we make our money back; it’s about how long can these projects last, and how can they provide the best lives for the residents.”

The property is a known problem-flooding area. However, Ayd says developers have worked out plans to mitigate those worries.

“What we’re doing is two different things. First, we’re addressing the fill. We’re building up in a construction style that you might see down at the beach, where the flood waters would actually go underneath the building in the event of an inundation,” Ayd said. “[And] the Route 50 sidewalk is outside of the flood zone. So, we’ll have a connectivity element in place to get outside of the flood zone.”

Respecting a Rich History

And, the project won’t just bring streetscaping and riverwalk enhancements. Secretary Day says the work also aims to revitalize what was once a thriving Black community.

“Right here was often called Black Main Street. There were businesses that were once here, that were torn down through the use of federal urban renewal dollars in the 1980’s and 90’s. We’re left with a parking lot,” Secretary Day said. “Through that market space, we’re going to be building out an incubator for food-based businesses, and Black-owned businesses, to come right back into the very real estate that they once had ownership.”

Salisbury City Councilmember April Jackson says she can remember the various businesses and community members that once called that corner of the City home. In order to pay respect to that history, and the people who made it possible, Jackson suggested placing a memorial of some kind on site.

Ground may be broken on SBY Market Center by next summer. Green Street Housing officials say doors could officially open by the fall of 2026.