SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury University Foundation purchased the Temple Hill Motel and Court Plaza properties in 2017, but recently announced it would become home to more than 750 students.
Foundation Executive Director Jason Curtin says purchased the properties for $6 million, cleared the motel lot and plans to clear the court plaza business strip.
"The Court Plaza property is going to get torn down most likely probably in the spring or next summer so those tenants will have to find alternative space. And we've been working with the management group to find them space," Curtin said.
WBOC spoke to some of the Court Plaza business owners on Monday who said they have not been notified that they would be forced to move.
The new building would be similar to Seagull Square along Route 13 with housing on top and retail space on the first floor. But students like Dawson Hill say Seagull Square has a hard enough time filling the vacated storefronts.
"A lot of the shops there are more like designer places and tend to be out of the price range of a lot of students here," Hill said.
Hill said he hopes to have more affordable food options and stores in this new building.
Curtin said the new housing would include both suite and apartment style rooms serving a minimum of 750 students. He added that there would be extra student and customer parking on the over 8 acre parcel.
"We hope this project when you're coming up north on Route 13 that this is sort of a southern gateway to campus. And I think some of the archetectural renderings that we've seen so far really has that statement piece that you've really entered Salisbury University's campus," Curtin said.
Curtin said he hopes to have the local developer's contract and design plans finalized before the end of this year. Construction is slated to begin in 2019 with an opening date as early as 2021.
