WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. -- The county is growing, not geographically, of course, but economically. Right now, three projects in Wicomico have local officials excited about the county's future.
Those projects would be an Amazon distribution center at the corner of West Road, a mixed-use business facility right off Route 50, and a mixed-use business facility near Route 13.
"These are game-changing investments in Wicomico County that are going to benefit the entire Lower Shore," said Bill Chambers, Executive Director of the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce. "To have companies view our area as a growth opportunity means that they obviously have confidence that leadership in the county is going to support the development of these projects."
St. John Properties, a developer based in Baltimore, is responsible for the two mixed-use sites off Routes 50 and 13. The project off Route 50 has been dubbed the Westwood Commerce Park. The project off Route 13 has been named the Salisbury Exchange.
Westwood Commerce Park Features:
- 16-acre business community
- Suite sizes range from 2,500 square feet up to 35,880 square feet
- Office, retail and warehouse uses
- Overall footprint of 106,500 square feet
Construction on Westwood Commerce Park, according to St. John Properties, is expected to wrap up in January.
Salisbury Exchange Features:
- 24-acre business community
- Suite sizes range from 2,500 square feet up to 51,040 square feet
- Office, retail and warehouse uses
- Overall footprint of 219,000 square feet
Construction for this project is expected to begin in the spring of 2026, according to St. John Properties.
What businesses will wind up taking over these buildings is still up in the air. However, Dave Ryan, Executive Director of Salisbury-Wicomico Economic Development, said that's one of the reasons these projects are so exciting.
"They can be everything from a light assembly manufacturing operation to a back office insurance operation to a call center of sorts, and even some warehousing or distribution," said Ryan.
But, why are these projects so encouraging? Well, because these types of developments haven't always been par for the course for the Lower Shore.
"What I have to chuckle about, when I think about this, is ten years ago, when folks on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay said nobody wants to do business on the Eastern Shore, especially the Lower Eastern Shore. It's swampy, people don't live there, there's no economy of scale, and now all of that has turned on a dime in just ten years," said Chambers.
Still, it's fair to wonder why developers like St. John Properties have changed their minds.
"They know we have an inexpensive cost of living over here compared to the rest of Maryland, and we have government and elected officials that are embracing growth," said Chambers.
Chambers said Wicomico County's location along Route 50 and Route 13, coupled with a willing workforce and competitive land prices, are also contributing factors.
Something else has changed, though, according to Chambers and Ryan: the way developers view the future of the Eastern Shore.
"It's indicative of the confidence that they[St. John Properties] have in the county and the confidence that they see over a long period of time," said Ryan. "They're a very sophisticated investor, very sophisticated property developer and they look over a long horizon."