SALISBURY, MD - The ongoing feud over downtown development in Salisbury is showing no signs of cooling with yet another lawsuit launched this week, this time against the City.
Local business owner and real estate agent Holly Worthington filed a suit on May 20 against the City of Salisbury and local developer Salisbury Town Center Apartments, LLC (STCA). In the suit, Worthington asks the Wicomico County Circuit Court to void an agreement between the City and STCA that would allow for development of three downtown parking lots.
The lawsuit comes weeks after a developer sued over another downtown development, alleging the City and Mayor Randy Taylor reneged on a previous authorization for a project on Fitzwater Street.
In her lawsuit, Worthington cites the various businesses and residential buildings currently downtown and their already-limited parking availability as just one of the numerous reasons for her suit. Should the parking lots be developed, Worthington argues, hers and other businesses would suffer from the lack of parking, as would downtown residents and visitors.
The possible development of the downtown lots has been in discussion for over a decade. In 2015, under Mayor Jake Day, the City entered a tentative agreement with developer Devreco for a project on downtown’s lots 1 and 11. That contract never came to fruition, and the lots remained active public parking lots.
In 2021, however, Worthington alleges that Salisbury officials began negotiating with the developer to sell and develop the lots. Those negotiations and City officials’ discussions about them were largely held behind closed doors and in violation of public information laws, city code, and state law, Worthington argues.
The timeline of the negotiations and agreements between the City and STCA is also called into question in the lawsuit. Worthington disputes the City’s claim that it reached an agreement with STCA in February 2022, noting STCA did not legally exist as an entity until 2023.
"There were some insufficiencies, inaccuracies and illegal things that occurred within the contracts that I feel need to be corrected," Worthington told WBOC Friday.
The suit also alleges the City Council passed an ordinance to increase residential density downtown at STCA’s request to allow for the development. Mayor Taylor would later veto that ordinance, but was overridden by a supermajority vote by the Council.
Taylor has been a staunch opponent of various downtown development projects. Earlier this month, another developer also threatened legal action against Taylor and the City over Taylor’s refusal to release state funds.
"These development agreements by the prior administration are not conducive to the health of the Downtown,” Taylor said in a statement. “I believe the facts support that. As I have predicted, the proposed projects will bring litigation. As mayor, it's my intention to continue to make Salisbury a place people want to visit and call home both now and for generations to come."
In response to this latest lawsuit, STCA’s Brad Gillis underscored his reliance on the commitments of the City but gave no indication of backing down from the downtown lots project.
“We will continue on with the process for development of the project as the terms of our Agreement, approved by the City Council and executed by the Mayor, provides,” Gillis said.
