Urban Salisbury's Plan

Mr. Albero:

After reading the Daily Times article about the Urban Salisbury Downtown Revitalization plan, I am disappointed. I sincerely hope that there is something meatier to this plan that what was published in the paper, but I have yet to see it, and based on the published information, I am flat out confused.

The new plan will create a total of 18 parking spaces – but that simply isn’t enough to really fill a restaurant, concert, or store. There are already parking spaces on the other side of the City Center, and they were not enough to keep the businesses inside afloat. So while parking is a problem, low-impact parking improvements are not going to help. A major revamp of the entire area into either a fully pedestrian shopping center or an area with substantial parking are the only feasible answers.

The Daily Times reports that this plan will create outdoor dining in the City Center area. There are ALREADY not one, not two, but THREE separate, if little-known, outdoor dining areas in that general area. One of them is a lovely garden seating area behind where City Bistro used to be, and back when Legends had that space, it was used for live music and cocktails. Guess what? Both businesses failed, not because there was not enough outside seating, but because there was not enough traffic in general. In addition, unless there is funding for better patrols, increased seating on the plaza may only serve to increase the already high number of homeless who utilize the plaza as a place to rest during the day. While our community needs to embrace the less fortunate and offer such respite, I doubt that increasing these numbers in that area will greatly improve the foot traffic into the stores and businesses along the plaza.

It will build a stage on the government building steps – why? Have the few performers that we have there complained of discomfort? Why not instead expand the Art Institute & Gallery, which long ago outgrew its space, or incorporate the old fire station into a performance venue? Urban Salisbury included plans for creating reflecting pools and a town square – why? We have at least two fountains on the plaza now, and they look terrible and are not properly kept up. And technically, if anyone wants to look, we have benches and trees in front of the old courthouse, across the way from the government buildings – we HAVE a town square. The Daily Times quotes the plan as offering, “A streetscape improvement that would create a unified urban corridor with increased trees and landscaping in some parts; traditional street furnishings, signage, curbing and traffic signaling; and clearly defined and separated vehicular and pedestrian ways.” Seriously? The overflowing trash cans are already there, thanks, there are already street lights, and the sidewalks are clearly demarcated.

I am deeply disappointed in the plan, and do not think it offers much to excite the general public of Salisbury about the downtown area. Something far more drastic and radical needs to happen. In addition, this plan is primarily just a ‘sprucing up’ of what is already there. Surely $5 million is not needed to tidy the neighborhood? I am amazed that given the current budget cuts, that the Council gave Urban Salisbury over $200,000 just to continue development of this obviously futile plan. Urban Salisbury says that the money will have little to no impact on taxpayers – I disagree – that money could be spent on schools, shelters, the local arts organizations, or general infrastructure. Instead, it’s going to pay for Urban Salisbury to remake what is already in place. This is the Emperor’s New Clothes, and it really should stop now.

I am a supporter of Urban Salisbury as an organization, and have met and hold the deepest respect for Urban Salisbury’s director. I am sure that this is what they felt they could realistically accomplish. But frankly, I think they need to provide a plan that is bigger, stronger, and more innovative than this one. I hope that you and the citizens of Salisbury will insist that they go back to the drawing board and use the $200,000+ award to come up with something better. Whatever happens to the downtown area, it needs to be big enough to make the locals feel compelled to go down and take a look. It needs to blow everyone away. It must, absolutely must, provide something to the community that isn’t available anywhere else. They need to pick up the downtown and really shake it up. Otherwise, the money will be wasted and the downtown revitalization will stall once again. I, for one, wonder just how many times the downtown can fail before it crumbles completely.

I know many will disagree, but if it will get locals really talking about what should happen downtown, then I am happy to sign my name -

Andrea Davis

Salisbury Resident

(& Former Resident of the Downtown Plaza)