For several decades the revitalization of the downtown area at public expense has been a goal of the political/business elite even though most City residents oppose using more public assets for that purpose. About thirty years ago a group of so-called city planners conceived the "RUDAT" plan; during the reign of Barrie Tilghman and the "Dream Team" controlled City Council, the HyattPalma plan was adoped; and there have been others by the Desman group, etc. Despite great fanfare in the Daily Times for such "professional" guidance and the Urban Salisbury episode, the downtown area has declined to the point of dormancy except for the Perdue chicken processing plant and governmental activity, plus offices of those who are involved in that activity, such as engineers/architects and lawyers.
The extensive growth in governmental and related facilities, including the City/County "GOB", the state office building and expansion of the County Courthouse, has done nothing to prevent the exodus of stores and general offices. There is no foreseeable demand for downtown residential or commercial premises that is not being met or cannot be with the ample existing surplus (vacant space).
Today we have another mayor facing the end of a terrible term in office who is attempting to cast himself as the savior of Salisbury by regurgitating the notion that somehow the downtown can be transformed into a mecca for residents and business under his "vision." Salisbury residents should recognize this latest attempt for what it is: more of the nonsense promoted by the same groups --.the Chamber of Commerce and Greater Salisbury Committee -- that have been doing so for years.
This time the scheme has progressed from absurd to ridiculous. To generate what he claims could be 500 residential units and more jobs and stores, Ireton proposes to sell most of the public parking lots, with those who currently use them shifting to the parking garage, which has some available space as do the various lots. Does he realize that there is excess parking space now because the retail stores and many other businesses have left the downtown area in recent years. There is humongous existing vacant space, but Ireton wants to create another 100,000 sq. ft. more. If even half of that which now exists were filled, on days when the court calls in jury panels (when the garage is packed in the morning) parking would be impossible without the lots. And the garage is not convenient for some parts of the downtown.
He has formed a "revitalization commitee" and is proposing special breaks for developers. Many members of that committee (several are city employees) have some form of conflict of interest. Hopefully the City Council will be proactive by voting to tell Ireton as soon as possible that it won't be bound by anything he or his advisors recommend. No doubt Laura Mitchell and Shanie Shields will march in lock-step with Ireton, so it would probably be a 3-2 vote.
And no doubt there will be expression of interest in doing development downtown -- just as there was to do those condos on the river that either went belly-up or have proven very difficult to sell. Salisbury does not need more of this stuff. We have much greater and Citywide problems than the downtown area.
48 comments:
If your not seeing your lawyer, bail bondsman or going to court, you want me to pay to park and do what or see what. Ya right!
It doesn't make sense---YET.
*Mayor concocts the excuse that people and blogs are complaining they have a problem parking. (he needs this excuse to justify his "study.)
*He then proceeds with a study using city staffers monitoring parking lots.
*It's then concluded parking lots are under used and not needed.
*His solution is tear out the parking lots and build 500 residential units and I believe I read more office space.
It does not take much reading between the lines to see this is most likely the latest attempt at some backroom deals.
"*It's then concluded parking lots are under used and not needed."
Something he should have already known since just about everyone in Wicomico county and beyond already knew.......but....he already knew.....he's just pretending he just realized this as part of the plan-it's part of the act.
What he wants us to believe is something like----WOW I just realized after getting all these parking complaints and doing this study that we don't need so many parking lots downtown so we need to maybe sell them. Gee I wonder who we can buy them?
The thing missing from ALL this rhetoric is THE PLAN. I mean, what is it? Sure you can do lots of things but, what has that to do with the PLAN?
Now, in Annapolis, the PLAN has been mostly to do with how you enrich yourself. Plans develop actions. Actions consider what affects plans.
Ideally, you support the political portion that most supports your own goals.
I've never seen mention of A PLAN for Salisbury. Is that the problem? I don't know...
Please take notice {excellent letter by the way....} on the timing of Ireton's brain fart, only days after Albero said he was running and the first thing he'd do when elected is remove the parking meters. With only a fifth grade mentality Ireton then out of anger/retaliation {surely accompanied with a hissy fit}figures he must destroy the parking lots at once...of course this then spurs potential back room deals and kick backs to line some pockets on the way out the door......, some of these characters need to be tarred and feathered and run out of town. Seriously, these kinds of criminal acts and schemes must stop! I think it would be beneficial in the long run for citizens to spend some tax money on depositions.....
Those surplus properties aren't surplus. They are actually used. If and when downtown ever does develop where the hell are the people going to park if there are no parking lots? Jim Ireton is an idiot and I know for a fact he is trying to make someone happy with a backroom deal.
Let me see if I have the right, there are little or no business's left downtown, so one wonders why the parking lots are not used, DUH! If there is a plan to bring more business, or apartments, well...it will need the parking DUH again!
The ONLY way to lokk at a plan, is to look at a long range total redo, not piece meal some short tern election pitch.
Daily Times doing article based off your web site!
That "Revitalization Committee" is just the tip of the iceberg --- certain select members (Catrice Parsons, Lori Carter, David Ryan, Tom Becker, Doug Wilson, Memo Diriker, Lore Chambers and Teresa Gardner, along with Ireton's guru , Chris Jakubiak, must approve any proposal. This scheme is straight out of Soviet Russia.
The downtown revitalization committee has always been a special interest group and have done NOTHING to improve the downtown area.
To many people on this committee that depend on a salary from the mayor's office.
mare says there's no problem with parking. Well there are enough spaces. The problem is the metered rate.
20 min for 75 cents won't get you where you're going.
As a really old timer here, I'm recalling the Lot 11 deal that almost happened with Doug Church and Mike Dunn.
Mike Dunn is now back in the picture and has bonded with our mayor.
Was the letter mailed to the above list of people? Who signed the letter?
There was a group of us discussing the old Downtown Salisbury area. We remember when the downtown was thriving. I remember going to Woolworth's and having lunch and going to the movies at the Boulevard Theater.
There are a lot of people around here that would love the downtown to be revitalized. I DON'T think Mayor Ireton is the right person for the job.
Look at how successful Berlin has been at changing their downtown area. They didn't tear down the old buildings and build new ones. They renovated what was there. There is nothing in the Salisbury's downtown yet that will bring business to the downtown area. Plus who the heck wants to pay to park. Berlin doesn't have meters.
I've been to many small old towns. New Market, Maryland, for example, has wonderful little shops and great places to eat. You don't pay for parking there. It's wonderful.
So until Salisbury gets it's act together with the stupid parking meters, permit lots and businesses other than lawyers offices, absolutely nothing is going to change.
The reason they are empty is the toll to use rhem and the lack of customrs willing to play ticket tag with the local meter maids. They can shop for fr3e everywhere else!
Since the launch pads at NASA in Florida are no longer in use we should sell them, too. Never considering advancing our country's space program. Every one knows that's over.... NOT.
There's a lot of unused acreage on the National Mall, too. We could sell that for Wendy's or Lowes to open a store!
Dumbocratic Dumbass!
A formed committee is no different then a study performed by a consultant. They tell you what you want to hear.
looks like most of the names on that list are people who only worry about feathering their own nest! good luck splitting any revenue generated among that selfish morally bankrupt bunch!
One name on that list seemed to slip by everyone reading this.
Mat Tilghman, wife of former Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman.
we expect our children in many cases to walk to school, we tell them it is good for them and wont kill them, but as grown ups we complain about having to walk from a some what "inconveniant" parking spot....
Possible 'math error' on hiz dishonor'z tally?
Plenty of underused parking spaces at the Salisbury Mall Meadow site, just a short, healthy stroll from the parking garage.
sarc/off
ANONYMOUS 9:31, Jimmy, is that you?
So am I getting this right, we are building Booth Street Projects downtown?
SO how does this work when they could not fill the condos on the river?
Want to get a new tenant, get rid of the Gay mayor. Salisbury has been screwed ever since they put bypass in, and the same GREEDY politicians sitting on the board Gilkergreed and others were in position at right time to make a killing. Until you get someone with out their OWN personal Racial, or Greed agendas... Youll have trash. This is why our WHOLE country is screwed, and it will not change.
A broke country, with greedy politicians, a broke City with Greedy, moral bankrupt politicians
Only had to park downtown a few times in the last nine years....road round and round....when I know I need to stay for a few hours I park in the garage or by the library...when I need a few mins...park at a metered spot....garage is always full during business hours...after hours I'm only going to the library....otherwise....WHT wants to go downtown...consfusing as heck..
Has nothing to do with a gay mayor...has all to do with making downtown customer friendly....I am old enough to remember when downtown was the only place to shop with my parents...nothing downtown these days that makes me want to park there.....
You have to have businesses that make me want to go there...and be parking friendly enough to bother....
I might go downtown to some of the restaurants, etc...but not enough to bother with the parking nightmare...
How about the marina?All that wasted money to fix it up and there's no one using it.
Speaking of deja vu -- this is a bigger boondoogle than those sweetheart deals for developers at the old mall property and the "Aydelotte Farm" tifS.
Didn't the Chamber and Greater Salisbury support those too.
Mat Tilghman is highly qualified -- his firm has recently left downtown Salisbury!
Anonymous said...
Mat Tilghman is highly qualified -- his firm has recently left downtown Salisbury!
May 20, 2012 11:30 PM
Was anything said about qualifications? That is your opinion anyway.
May 20, 2012 11:30 PM
Mat Tilghman's firm leaving downtown Salisbury makes him highly qualified?
He and his husband former Mayor Barrie is the reason the city as well as downtown is in the shape it is in.
That who's who list of people from Salisbury failed to do anything downtown.
Its going to take people with common sense to get anything done downtown NOT so called business people, the likes of what is on this list. They all have their own agendas and residents are sick of all that bull. You can argue til the cows come home about downtown, but dead is dead.
Take down the parking meters. Now - what is there to go downtown for, after the removal of parking meters? The exact same places as are there now with parking meters.
The Opportunity Shop and a barber shop and a pizza place will not revitalize downtown or draw the crowds. Have specialty shops or other businesses promised they will come to downtown if the meters are removed? No, because everyone is to busy nixing any suggestion made.
The first need for restoring downtown is a plan. Woolworth, Benjamins, Reads, Watson's Smoke House, White and Leonards, Pennys - just to name a few - will never return, so get off that line of thinking. Get off thinking you have to automatically disapprove every suggestion made. Many suggestions can develop into a fine plan.
I am not sure most people really care if downtown is reinvented. So first you need to find out what people say will bring them downtown. The Library is the only thing at present that gets me in the vicinity of downtown and probably will remain that way. Downtown was a great place to go in it's day - but now I have found other places to go and a habit is hard to break.
How come Mike Dunn's daddy didn't make that list?
I've been downtown and get tired of back and forth feeding the meters. Sometimes I've felt like taking a stroll around but have to feed the meter and then by the time I walk BACK to my car, I just get in and leave.
Alot of what could be preventing any business esp national chains from considering downtown is the lack of free parking. It is one of their main issues when scouting out potential locations.
I don't know why I was shocked when I heard Louise Smith and Lynn Cathcart named as members of the grant committee that funded the demolition of Linens of the Week with CDBG money ($60,000+ I think it was). We are learning more about who Ireton is cozy with every day and what he will do to continue to pad the pockets of Salisbury's political elites at the expense of the rest of us. Then Ireton had the nerve to blast Debbie Campbell when she brought it to the attention of the public.
THis is the Dunn/COmegys plan all over again.
Everyone just relax OK? Everythin gis fine. WE just got a new Fire Boat right? Then we are gooooooodd.
This should Totally be yesterday top post! Go Get Joe!
Joe is there anyway you can send the Fire Boat back if you are elected mayor?
seriously what could you possibly put down there to make people want to comes there? It's surrounded by some of the worst neighborhoods in salisbury, Perdue perfume will drive you to puking most summer days, Plus you have the wicomico river with all the floating condoms and other various trash! YUUUPPPPP Sign me up, I want to waste my time and money down there!
What will Ireton do to curry favor with SAPOA -- maybe put Kris Adams on the Housing Appeal Board?
woolworths, the hardware store, all mentioned stores in 10:21's comment had one thing in common. In order to shop there, one needed MORE THAN 20 MINUTES!
Hence, the need to close or move to a free parking area.
Keep the parking lots, just surplus all of the meters. Employees that work downtown are the ones that pay the biggest price for the need to park year round.
It costs close to $400 a year for a parking permit, one has to earn $650 or more to take $400 home to pay for parking.
what they really plan on doing is relocating the black community from the west side of the river to allow for more expensive housing on the west side of the wicomico river.
this is the same way that they treated the blacks and poor people in the inner harbor in baltimore. they are just led to believe that is what is good for them.
Lol what@ 1:18 I am sure this whole "inner city" thing was not drawn up with "blacks" in mind solely.
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