Mayor Randy Taylor weighs in on downtown parking concerns

SALISBURY, Md. – The city has faced some pushback from downtown business owners and patrons, who say the move to bring back paid parking in the garage and lots will drive business away.

But Mayor Randy Taylor said it’s a cost that the city can no longer bare.

“We have about 1,500-2,000 parkers every day, so obviously there’s an expense with managing that,” said Mayor Taylor. “Those expenses have incrementally gone up over time, and we’ve had to raise our rates, just like everybody else.”

But that’s not the only concern people have. With uncertainty surrounding whether Gillis Gilkerson will move forward with its development project and build an apartment complex on lot 1, people are worried if there will be enough space to park.

“If you’ve been on my side of the argument, I’m trying to say, listen, you’re right, it’s going to only make parking more expensive, not less expensive,” said Mayor Taylor.

While opinions are split on the downtown parking situation, Mayor Taylor said he and the council are working together to find the best solutions to peoples’ concerns.

“Parking is very delicate, and it’s part of the ecosystem of downtown,” said Mayor Taylor. “When you talk about selling parking lots and redeveloping parking garages, that only impacts the cost of parking downtown.”