DON’T STRANGLE DOWNTOWN SALISBURY!
The undersigned oppose the request by a proposed developer from elsewhere to allow residential development in the City’s “Central Business  District” (CBD) at the density rate of 80 units per acre. Unless these projects are required to have on-site parking for the tenants and the guests,
the permitted density rate - 40 units per acre - should be reduced, not increased, because:

1. During the past six years, the City has sold most of the downtown parking lots for development - after removing the requirement for on-site parking for tenants, customers, etc. The lots set for this particular development in the CBD were transferred to developers 11/14/2023. To view this information on 118 Circle Avenue, 121 Circle Ave, 131 Circle Ave go to: https://sdat.dat.maryland.gov/RealProperty/Pages/default.aspx and reference those addresses.

2. The much higher density rate will apply to all properties in the Central Business District, which include many sites that are vacant and could be developed with hundreds of additional apartments without any on-site parking. Link to text amendment: https://library.municode.com/md/salisbury/ordinances/municipal_code?nodeId=934144

3. The project planned by the developer mentioned above would eliminate much of the public parking that is essential for the existing demand, which will increase in the future, for businesses, the new Cultural Museum of the Eastern Shore, and the Performing Arts Center planned for the current library site.

4. Those three parking lots are subject to flooding during significant storms, and government data indicates that both those lots and much of downtown Salisbury will experience significantly greater flooding during severe storms and hurricanes.

5. Salisbury’s Board of Appeals rejected the developer’s application for approval for a density of 77 units per acre, and the developer’s appeal was dismissed by the Circuit Court. This was not political Bias in action it was our zoning codes being legally enforced.

6. There are other sites in and around Salisbury that are suitable for the proposed apartments.

7. If the apartments are built, the consequences cannot be changed - “let's see what happens” is not appropriate.