SALISBURY, Md.- What will happen with the empty Superfresh supermarket building that has been sitting empty for a year and a half in Salisbury? There might be some good news when it comes to the future of the building on College Avenue.
Its owner, A&P, shut down the grocery store back in July 2011, as well as several other Superfresh stores across Delmarva.
On Friday, some local economic experts said they are optimistic about potential businesses interested in taking over the building.
Mike Robertson, who is a long time city resident, said that he remembers when Superfresh shut down.
"My mother and father shopped here, I shopped here and it was a nice store," Robertson said.
Robertson said it was a store he hated to see go away, but added that the building has a big potential to create business again.
"I would like to see something that would create a lot of jobs like a manufacturing job or something where we can put a lot of people to work in town," Robertson said.
It's an idea that David Ryan the executive director of the Salisbury-Wicomico County Economic Development said is not so bad because the city is very capable of attracting large businesses.
"Sure it's attractive, it's in the center of our community," Ryan said, "It's adjacent to one of our largest economic engines at Salisbury University and it's a high level of traffic flow."
Nancy Espenlaub, who works nearby, said she is OK with seeing another grocery store set up shop in the empty building.
"If the community and the politicians work together instead of against each other all the time, you know we would be able to create new businesses and have a better economy in the area," Espenlaub said.
Brent Miller, who is the managing director of Sperry Van Ness Commercial Real Estate, said that chances of another business taking over are looking very good.
"It's definitely a highly desirable space," Miller said, "we have a lot of tenants that are interested in the space, we currently have several offers on the table that we are currently negotiating. With that vacancy right now we are losing potential income, there's a need that is not being serviced right now so we feel once that vacancy is filled with a quality grocer or quality tenant with a long term lease, it will fill that void."
Miller said the company is also looking for potential business to take over an empty pad site that sits in front of the store. That means there could be a possibility of a bank, a fast food or a free standing building to take over.
(Photo: WBOC)
