City OKs contract to develop downtown parking lot
Salisbury officials are moving forward with a deal to develop a valuable city-owned parking lot at a busy intersection into a mixed-use project with retail spaces and apartments.
City Council members on Monday night approved a resolution that authorizes Mayor Jake Day to enter into an exclusive negotiation period with Salisbury Development Group, the same developers who won a recent contract for the Port of Salisbury Marina project.
The $50,000 contract for Parking Lot 10 at the intersection of Routes 13 and 50 was awarded after the city advertised for proposals for a mixed-use development on the property adjacent to the state office building and the site of a weekend flea market.
The city sought a “highly aesthetic, quality mixed-use project” that meets certain goals for housing, jobs, business, eateries and institutional uses.
Devreco, which is developing two other city parking lots and is responsible for other recent downtown projects such as Headquarters Live, also submitted a bid for Lot 10.
Salisbury Development Group is also redeveloping the marina with a mix of commercial and residential units under a plan that won the approval of City Council members in July.
READ MORE: Salisbury's downtown progress part of the big picture
READ MORE: Salisbury City Council inks marina development deal
The marina was the first project in the Salisbury area for David Perlmutter, a principal with the Salisbury Development Group, but he has development experience in Prince Georges County and in nearby Seaford where he is building the Residences at River Place along the Nanticoke River.
In the Salisbury Marina deal, the developer is required to build residential and commercial units, add 155 parking spaces and to build a new boathouse for public use.
Lot 10 is the latest project slated for the downtown area. In October 2015, City Council members finalized a contract with Devreco for Lots 1 and 11 behind the Downtown Plaza and bordered by Camden, Division, West Market streets and Circle Avenue. Devreco will develop a multi-use plan for the land to include a mix of retail, apartments, park areas and parking.
Another city parking lot on Route 50 next to the drawbridge will be developed with apartments above retail space that will include a market hall. Green Street Housing will pay $10,000 for Lot 30 in a deal approved by the City Council in April. The project “must be iconic and function as a signature landmark for downtown Salisbury,” according to the contract. The development is expected to serve as a link between downtown and the marina.
The redevelopment in downtown and at the marina are part of the city’s 20-year master plan that delineates seven districts, with numerous public and private projects in each.
Long-range marina district projects include a Parsons Road streetscape, Brew River site improvements, a Wicomico River crossing at Lake Street and a parking garage on West Main Street.
On Twitter @LizHolland5