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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

North Prong - Exhibit B

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Mid-Term Revitalization: Exhibit B illustrates how some properties can redevelop and
co-exist with existing businesses. Redevelopment focuses on utilizing surface parking that
can serve as future development sites at a time when there is market demand for
additional density and structured parking. It is important to note that buildings and surface parking should be located so that adequate dimensions remain for future structured parking and/or infill development to maintain the greatest long-term flexibility.

Strategy B-1: Provide for a Mixture of Uses Including Existing and Future Uses
Immediate: Modify the zoning code to accommodate the recommendations of this revitalization plan.
Strategy B-2: Acknowledge and Respect the Character of the District and Neighboring Areas.

This might all sound good to some but to me it is nothing more than another load of manure being spread. How can the strategy be to provide a mixture of uses and include existing businesses and the immediate goal be to modify zoning codes? Does this mean they are going to zone the existing businesses right out of business in that area? Sounds like it to me considering their plan for the Perdue property. It sounds better than stealing their land via eminent domain. No matter how you slice it, it's still stealing their land.

Further into this plan it states The area around the North Prong was recently rezoned to the Riverfront Redevelopment Multiuse District No. 1 classification (Title 17, Chapter 17.104 of the City of Salisbury Municipal Code, a zoning code that covers the entire study area for the North Prong redevelopment plan Well what do you know, the zoning has already been changed and it hasn't been changed to support existing businesses. The plan further states The code was established to create a zoning platform for the redevelopment of the district as a commercial retail and residential center... This code does not include the light industrial activity of Taylor Oil, Bradley Oil, Perdue Farms and possibly all of the other businesses on the river.

All of the meetings, all of the time, energy and money spent putting this plan together and all of the lies told to the existing businesses on the North Prong, when it comes right down to it, the planners state in black and white The Riverfront Redevelopment Multiuse District No. 1 ordinance effectively renders nearly ALL of the existing uses inside the district as non-conforming. The planners didn't write these zoning codes, our overpaid legal mouthpiece Paul Wilber had a hand in this, doing as usual, the bidding of his master, Barrie and her band of thieves. To the credit of the planners they do suggest consideration should be given to the RRMD# 1 being modified to respect, to some degree, the industrial heritage of the North Prong. Like everything throughout the past 10 years of Barrie's reign of terror it would appear, this is yet another DONE DEAL.

While reading this final report I can't help but laugh at the language used to describe the existing structures on Mill Street and their uses or prospective uses. They acknowledge there are contributing historic buildings, sadly none of them are registered. Might be a thought for some of you property owners, that would throw a monkey wrench right in Barrie's plans.

Farmers & Planters is located at a KEY PARCEL...uh ohhhh not good for them. They go on to say a more detailed survey would be required to determine priorities for renovation and adaptive REUSE...a likely candidate to continue in its current use OR for reuse as office or retail uses.

Holloway Company Building Good news for Ronnie, his building appears, from the exterior to be well preserved. Bad news Ronnie...they are suggesting it could be successfully reused for office, retail and/or residential uses IF the existing business were not to remain.

Marcor Bad news for them, they've set their sites on this building as well. They say, it has great potential for adaptive reuse uh ohhhh.

Salisbury Monument Company Built in the 19th century this building was the old girls school that was located on Gay Street years ago. S.J. Disharoons ancestors bought it in the early 1900's and had it moved to their Mill Street property, the attitude of those preparing this report is it could be moved again if this owner wished to maintain his business but utilize a newer building. Now why in the hell would he want to pick up this historical building and relocate it again? Where would they have him put it? On Monitor Court? How about London Blvd? If S.J. and the citizens of Salisbury had any luck a tornado might pick it up and drop it right on top of the wicked witch of Salisbury and Bubba too.

Lastly there is the historical marker of sorts just up from Marcor. Maybe they can talk to Pete Cooper or George Chevalier for information on this, they won't lie.

This report contains things I'm sure Barrie wouldn't want anyone to know like the Historic District Design Guidelines they had prepared by the RBA Group and the Edgecombe Group were written to apply very specifically to Downtown, Camden and Newtown. There are no generalized guidelines for surviving historic buildings in other areas of the city or for infill development adjacent to historic structures. In essence the owners of these notably historic buildings on Mill Street have no protections from Barrie's bulldozer.

As much as I have read, so far, you can not convince me these folks have any interest in maintaining any of the existing businesses on the North Prong. They want that property sold and/or leveled for her developer buddies to come in and build her legacy. What will that legacy be? Another fancy place to be mugged?

They also suggest residential properties, upscale and work force. Please tell me who is going to pay a boatload of money for an upscale home to be built on the same block as work force housing aka cracker boxes with big price tags. Why don't we build some work force housing over on Johnson's Pond? That would make it easy for people working in the service industry to walk down that trail that is proposed to the North Prong. I wonder if Barrie or Bubba will be walking that trail? I certainly won't nor will anyone else with good sense.

I don't deny that area needs to be revitalized. It starts with good infrastructure. Barrie wants others to take pride in their property when she doesn't even take pride in the city she was elected to be mayor. Look at Mill St. Is that the fault of the property owners? They aren't the ones that solicit bids for street repair or resurfacing. They aren't the ones that solicit bids for crumbling sidewalks or curbing, that's the job of the city. Maybe Lore Chambers could help Pam Oland find those tax dollars these businesses pay and put it into resurfacing the street. Maybe Lore could write for grant funding to repair the sidewalks like she did for that bunch up on Isabella St. Maybe Lore should just hand in her resignation and let the city apply what she is paid towards repairs.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here's the most important info on this scam -- it should be included with each post you do:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Yr6giObSZpw/SPUcspZSX4I/AAAAAAAAACk/CLorfwGxd-0/s1600-h/NP-Projected-Costs-Pg-10.jpg

Note that these are estimates, without even getting rough bids -- and so at least 50% understated.

Anonymous said...

That recent rezoning occurred when Michael Day and other Newtown NIMBYs reacted to a proposal to put a business along the North Prong.

Anonymous said...

this plan does not appear to meat the Chesapeake bay critical area regulations. there should be much more landscaping, especially along the river edge.

Anonymous said...

Great post, EarlsSister. One of the best!

"What will that legacy be? Another fancy place to be mugged?"

Bingo! And there are so many fancy places to be mugged already planned that still haven't moved forward.

What a joke.

EarlsSister said...

Anon 959, that is only Exhibit B just wait until you see what they have planned for that area. You won't recognize it, nor will anyone else that has any memory of the North Prong.

Anonymous said...

I notice a spot for a hotel. Who would want to stay in that area unless they know nothing about the area itself. I hope the existing businesses won't have to move from where they are. Lets hope the mare will be out soon and none of this will happen after all.

Anonymous said...

Let's give these leaders a break afterall they already pay twice as much as we do on the flush tax because thay are all full of Sh...
it.

Anonymous said...

Let's form a CAB committee- Citizens against Barrie!!!!

Anonymous said...

$7 million? At least?????

Anonymous said...

It all sounds good just as posted until you get to the parts where it becomes obvious they don't want these people to stay there at all. They want offices and more retail businesses. Salisbury can't support the retail businesses already established. If it could, we wouldn't have so many empty commercial spaces available. This is just sickening.

Anonymous said...

Can't Shanie see what's in store for her constituents here? They will likewise be forced to move from those houses near this new Prong plan. Stand up for them, Shanie. Don't allow this to go forward.

Anonymous said...

Shanie won't stand up for herself against her lord and massah Miss Barrie. Don't expect her to stand up for anyone else.

Anonymous said...

11:23

Let's give Ms. Shields due credit for voting with Campbell and Cohen to stop Barrie's scam to have it "accepted" by the Council. When Louweasel saw that she and Bubba would lose, she switched her vote to be in the majority, leaving Comegys to hang out and dry. How sweet it is.

Anonymous said...

Does Shanie even live in her district anymore?

Chimera said...

Great.After putting up with a street in wretched condition and the crime in that area,these people just expect Salisbury Monument to uproot?Will they be able to use eminent domain to oust these businesses?There are already too many empty commercial spaces in town.Salisbury is anti-business,especially when it comes to family businesses.Look at what they did to the Cox family(Buddys Shell)for an example.

Anonymous said...

Crumbling sidewalks or curbing? You forgot to mention the dredging the city did some 20+ years ago along the rivers edge. They dredged UNDER the bulkhead. You guessed it, the foundation eventually fell into the water making it unsafe to navigate where blacktop use to be. Nothing was ever done by the city The property owners did what they could, within reason to rectify this huge problem. Will this also be part of the budget? I would bet not.

As for the long time business owners along Mill street, leave them alone. They help to employee people in our community and have weathered the rise and fall of the status of this neighborhood. They keep their buildings in reasonable shape. Don't mess with what IS working for these business owners.

Who in their right mind would want them out of there when they are obviously doing something right?

Anonymous said...

Who in their right mind would want them out of there when they are obviously doing something right?

Answer: Barrie Tilghman, John Pick, Lore Chambers, Ron Alessi, Greater Salisbury Committee, Urban Salisbury Committee, Michael Day, Jennie Cleary, Gary Comegys and many others that wish to gain, once again, from the sweat of others. These folks are also know as common thieves.