BREAKING: Salisbury Mayor vetoes density increase ordinance over parking concerns
SALISBURY, Md. – Mayor Randy Taylor has vetoed an ordinance to increase density in Downtown Salisbury, citing concerns over parking.
“It could really have a detrimental affect on the downtown long term,” Mayor Taylor told our Rob Petree in an exclusive interview Wednesday.
Following hours worth of testimony, from both sides of the issue, Salisbury City Council voted in favor of moving forward with the proposal at their meeting Monday night to increase the zoning density in Salisbury’s Central Business District.
The proposal, which passed by a vote of 4 to 1, doubles the permitted zoning density by changing the maximum units of housing allowed in Downtown Salisbury from 40 units per acre to 80.
“There wasn’t enough parking before the density increase, and there certainly won’t be anymore after the density increase, so the primary concern is not density, but parking,” Mayor Taylor said. “I think this is really a problematic planning problem for the downtown.”
Mayor Taylor tells us the next step is to show council in detail why he made that decision.
“What I’m doing now is putting together a formal memo, which I think articulates all of the data and the impact that this thing could have across the footprint, this change,” Mayor Taylor explained. “I think if it doesn’t convince one more member of the council to go in my direction, well, that would be a shame.”
The ordinance’s passage paved the way for Gillis Gilkerson, a local developer, to get the go-ahead on a project that would bring a new apartment complex downtown. We spoke to the company’s principal, Brad Gillis who called the Mayor’s decision unfortunate.
“When the Mayor says he is pro-development, and wants to see development downtown, and is now vetoing a pro-development, pro-downtown, text amendment, it is unfortunate,” Gillis said in response to learning that the Mayor vetoed the measure.
Many residents who spoke at Monday night’s council meeting in support of the ordinance did so expressing the need for more affordable housing, which Mayor Taylor says has resulted in misinformation.
“I think there’s been a lot of misinformation about the entire project, affordability just being one among them,” Mayor Taylor said in response.
We asked Gillis specifically if their apartments would be affordable. He said it’s their hope that their apartments will be attainable for local residents.
“Apartments downtown, and our apartments, are market rate,” Gillis said in response. “So, the word affordability has been thrown around and has many different definitions to many different people. When we develop these parcels of land, and when we develop these apartments, it’s our hope that they’re going to be attainable to the folks that live in and around downtown.”
City Council will need a super-majority of approval in order to override the Mayor’s veto of the ordinance.
WMDT’s Rob Petree spoke to Council President D’Shawn Doughty Wednesday night where he asked for reaction to the Mayor’s decision to veto the ordinance.
“I respect government and processes and we sort of expected this,” Councilman Doughty said. “Just knowing where the Mayor and his stance was on this decision. So, we fully expected that, but Council did approve this.”
Moving forward, Councilman Doughty went on to say they’re checking on the charter and that he believes it will come back for another vote where they could potentially override the Mayor’s veto. Council will need a super-majority of approval in order to override it.
