SALISBURY, Md. - As some big box stores like K-Mart and Toys R Us leave Salisbury, there are still some other retailers looking to move in.
An Aldi supermarket has already been approved and annexed into city limits by the City of Salisbury. Construction is underway on the corner of Dagsboro Road and US Route 13.
Now the same developers building the Aldi, PennTex Ventures out of Pennsylvania, are also looking to annex 2.33 acres of land in that same area. Director of Infrastructure and Development Amanda Pollack says the annexation process takes about six months to complete before city limits are moved.
"These parcels are in the county right now and they want to come into the city limits so they can have city water and sewer," Pollack said.
Ted Donald, Executive Vice President of PennTex Ventures, attended a Salisbury City Council work session on Monday. During the meeting he explained to the council that two restaurants are already looking to move onto the site, if approved. While he wouldn't say what those businesses are yet, he tells WBOC he is hoping to announce them by fall.
Some neighbors on Dagsboro Road say they're excited about the new developments coming up north.
"My fiance says a lot about Aldi from Pennsylvania and she's really excited about that. I think two restaurants up on the water here is going to bring some more life to the area," Michael Nolen said.
But others say they're concerned for potential traffic increases to the residential area and want to know what businesses are going into those spaces.
"We have a lot of the chain restaurants, but I'd like to have more locally-based restaurants come here," Gerald Hampton said.
Donald and his team from PennTex Ventures are scheduled to meet with the city's planning commission on July 19. Donald says he's anticipating a November opening for Aldi in Salisbury.
