New grant funding to provide Salisbury Union Station with major structural upgrades

SALISBURY, Md.- “I love when the state listens to a community and says we hear you, we understand, and we’re prepared to invest in what you’re doing,” Salisbury Mayor Jake Day said.

It’s an investment with a $500,000 price tag from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Strategic Demolition Fund. The fund helps transform many vacant, underused spaces to transition into their next phase.

Money that will give buildings like the historic Union Station in Salisbury new life. “This is a critical building. This was our train station back when there was a passenger rail service on the Delmarva Peninsula,” Mayor Day said.

Project development will be led by Evolution Brewing Company who currently owns the property.

Salisbury Wicomico Economic Development Corporation Director David Ryan says it will be a catalyst for growth. “More jobs, more commerce, more tax base. It’s a win-win for both public and private sectors,” Ryan says.

“The owners have talked about a food hall, farmer’s market, a restaurant, or an extension of the brewery,” Mayor Day said.

The building currently sits in the Church Street Neighborhood, an area Mayor Jake Day says that saw heavy amounts of crime just a decade ago.

He adds his office has been focused on giving the area the TLC it needs. “It remains a lower income neighborhood, so we’ve got a lot of work to do over there and this exactly what we need. Government can’t do all of it, so the private sector being involved is going to be so important to the success of Church Street,” Mayor Day said.

Broken windows and rusted doors are what can be seen now. Soon, we’re told the station will be symbol of what’s to come for the future of Salisbury. “Providing that infrastructure and that entrepreneurial spirit from the community helps create that vibrancy within a community and helps attracts residents and additional businesses alike,” Ryan said.

Mayor Day says the potential of future rail service is slim to none, as the U.S. Department of Transportation has no plans on implementing that back on the Delmarva Peninsula as of right now.

Union Station was one of 22 projects awarded funding.

Renovations are expected to begin early next year.