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Thursday, December 06, 2012

Parking Lots & Downtown Fire Station 16

Request for Proposal

Mayor James Ireton, Jr. is pleased to announce that the City of Salisbury has issued requests for proposals for potential development projects for a number of City owned parking lots in the downtown area. In addition a request for proposals has been issued for the downtown Fire Station 16. 

“The City Council previously turned down my request for the surplussing of these parking lots. The last time the City Council, prior to this week, took up the issue of Fire Station 16 or a downtown plan for redevelopment was July 2, 2012. The City Attorney’s office has advised (under section SC16-2 G, H of the City Charter) that the City has the ability to solicit proposals to gauge interest in the development of these properties without actually surplussing them. That is why I have authorized the issuance of these RFPs,” said Mayor Ireton. 

The RFPs are being advertised beginning December 6, 2012 and developers will have until mid-March 2013 to submit proposals. 

The City of Salisbury is accepting bids on various City owned properties. Proposed usage is to be evaluated by the City Council prior to bid award. Vendors are required to document their proposed usage for the property, methodology for achieving proposed usage, financial ability to proceed with the project and benefits to the Central Business District of the City of Salisbury. 

· The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to receive development proposals from experienced real estate developers (“Vendors”) that will transform the expansive City owned parking lots that now separate downtown from the riverfront into a vibrant mixed-use urban center; a place where people will live, work, shop and gather for City wide events as well as significantly change and provide a foundation for the continued transformation of Downtown Salisbury. 

A copy of Downtown Salisbury’s ‘Plan for Transformation’ can be found on the City Living Salisbury website:

http://www.citylivingsalisbury.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/A-Plan-for-Transformation.pdf 

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nothing, But nothing will come of down town until you get rid of the thugs, barrooms, homeless bums,and the traffic patterns/mess. No matter what you claim about the safety down town, it's nonexistent.
Sorry! Your throwing away our money.
Getting rid of parking lots? Only thing that will accomplish is creating more space for realtors to fight over and separate for their rich clients. Salisbury has a serious problem and band aids increase the infection.

Anonymous said...

Get rid of the BRICKS and LINEN builings. The city does not need to be in the real estate buiness.

Anonymous said...

After all this is built WHERE will the customers PARK.?
You can't see the forest for the trees. I know cut down the trees.

Joe what are your thoughts beings you will be the next mayor...cant wait.

Anonymous said...

This is another Ireton political stunt. I imagine that he has some of his buddies lined up to bid. He and Pick know that he lots were surplissed by a previous council yearsago. He could have put them out to bid any time...and the old firehouse too. Truth is that the council had already adopted the workable parts if what Ireton has named "his" plan. The truth must be pretty inconvient for Jim as he tries to force feed this new version of history for public consumption. Here is another example where a real mayor would have gone to the council and worked toward something collaborative.

JoeAlbero said...

anonymous 11:33,

I think the Mayor read my Post the other day that discussed these two subjects.

I mentioned on Sunday that I agreed the Council has taken too long with Station 16 as well as the FACT that NO ONE I have spoken to about Ireton's proposal to surplus the parking lots for 500 section 8 housing units supported his proposal.

This Press Release is Jim Ireton's typical childish way to throw it in the Council's face.

You will NOT see any of this in the rest of the MSM, the facts behind it, that is. You won't see WBOC or WMDT interviewing people asking them what they think of selling off the parking lots because each person will flat out say it's stupid.

Like the comment says above, one "I" redevelop Downtown Salisbury, where will people park if Ireton was able to sell off these lots, which he won't.

ALSO, here is yet another perfect example of how Jim Ireton will use this ONCE AGAIN to claim this is the Council of No's and the Press will run full speed with it in the hopes of hurting Debbie Campbell.

The bottom line is, the ONLY thing that needs to be reviewed is station 16. Heck, it wasn't good enough for me to offer $250,000.00 CASH with no contingencies for that building when Mike Dunn, Gary Comegys and Barrie Tilghman were running things. The building could have been sold on the spot but instead they created brand new legislation to make sure Joe Albero could NOT buy the building.

It's not Joe Albero's election to lose, it's the citizens' election to lose.

Anonymous said...

Pretty funny. Ireton refuses to surplus the Bricks or Linens of the week which are liabilities to the taxpayers, yet can hustle to sell assets with value for what I suspect will be pennies on the dollar. I will say that I am glad that the council was able to stay with the redevelopment of River's Edge until it became a very good outcome for the city. That's probably why Ireton is grandstanding about this.

Anonymous said...

The old firehouse needs to stay as a firehouse with at least and engine and an ambulance. If anything make it the Ambulance headquarters. The bridge is evidence the city needs that to be a firehouse or ambulance station.

Anonymous said...

Isn't this the rehash of the now defunct Urban Salisbury's plan from a few years ago that didn't fly? It sure looks the same except Ireton's name is pasted on the front!

Anonymous said...

This might be one of the dumbest things that Ireton has done. When the Council and Administration are not together in this effort who in their right mind would invest the time and many tens of thousands of dollars to respond to the RFP's when it will be shot down by the Council since they do not support this effort.

Shoot, aim, ready, this just validates how out of touch this City is with being in the real estate business

Anonymous said...

So what's it going to be. A fire house or bunk house (for homeless).
Would be nice to close up the library/homeless shelter. Sit around down town and watch. You can tell what time it is by which way the masses are moving. LOL.

Anonymous said...

Stop blaming the council about station 16. They said long ago they preferred to lease it and named several ideas for it. Ireton won't be happy until he has given away all of Salisbury.

Anonymous said...

Where's the RFP for the vacant space between Ireton's ears? Enough space there for a regional shopping center!