SALISBURY, Md. - As 2019 gets closer, over a dozen development projects in downtown Salisbury will also be moving forward.
Mayor Jake Day says construction will begin for many of the private developments as well as city road projects.
"The last 18 months in Salisbury in terms of construction have been some of our best in two decades and so the way we look at it is there's nothing slowing down," Day said. "I keep a list of buildings I want to see something happen to and I'm down to single digits on buildings where there's anything left to happen to."
But some like Don Cathcart say they're concerned for what that means for parking. A few of the development projects, like the Salisbury Town Center will be build on an existing parking lot. Lot 1, commonly known as the two hour free lot will have limited parking because of that particular project.
"People want the convience of parking, why do you think downtown died in the first place? They could go to the Centre or the Old Mall and do that," Cathcart said.
Day says a part of each private development contract includes a mandate that developers will add a certain number of parking spaces
Other projects coming to downtown Salisbury over the next year include:
The Prost Beer Garden: developers will begin construction in early 2019 to build a beer garden on the small parking lot across the river from the Riverwalk Amphitheater. An opening date is scheduled for Spring of 2019.
The Ross: an apartment complex will be built above 132 East Main Street, making it the tallest building on Delmarva outside of Ocean City. The housing development is slated to begin construction in 2019 with around 25 apartments. The developer is working with the city council to approve the necessary permits in January.
The Salisbury Town Square and Town Center: The city will begin the first phase of the Salisbury Town Square between the downtown parking garage and Lot 1 in early 2019. Late in 2019 phase 2 will begin and feature more of the gathering space improvements going into the parking lot. The town square will feature green space, gathering tables and chairs, family-friendly games, etc. Construction of the Town Center is scheduled to begin around October or November of 2019 with restaurants and retail space on the ground floor. Developers plan to have 40-50 apartment units on the floors above it.
The Riverwalk Amphitheater (Part 2): The Riverwalk Amphitheater will see some improvements in 2019 with a new covering for the stage area as well as some roofing structures for the audience portion.
Riverside Circle: The intersections of Mill Street, Camden Avenue and Carroll Street will soon have a traffic improvement, a roundabout. The congested intersection will now have help from the city in early 2019. Day says the intersection will never be closed during construction, but traffic patterns may change temporarily as the project moves forward.
Main Street Construction: Construction will continue into early 2019 on East Main Street, once that is completed it will be about half way done. The rest of the construction improvements will include a portion of the North Division Street area and the one-way brick road portion of Main Street through the rest of 2019.
Fitzwater Street: A big undertaking will begin in 2019 on Fitzwater Street. The entire street will be repaved with improvements to the water and sewer in that portion of Salisbury as well as Fitzwater pump station. The entire project will cost the city over $6 million and is expected to end around early 2020.
The Marina: The Salisbury Marina lot will soon transform into a boathouse and shopping complex in 2019. Day says the final building permit application in January with construction looking to begin in February.
Movie Theater: A 12-screen movie theater is coming to the lot on the corner of Route 13 where the Saturday Flea Market currently exists. Some mixed-use retail space will also call that parking lot home in 2019. Construction is expected to begin in 2019 with an opening date of 2023.
Fitzwater Street Hotel: An unused space with some parking available between Fitzwater Street and Route 50 will soon become a hotel. No word yet on which hotel will take over the space, but Day says that will be moving forward in 2019.
500 Riverside Lot: The unused lot across the river from Brew River near the Mill Street bridge will go before City Council in January of 2019 to be developed into a restaurant and retail space.
