Downtown
The city's landscape is changing as Salisbury has focused on smart
growth - striking a balance with preservation and restoration. One
example is the downtown plaza. The two-block area includes
professional and government offices, retailers, art galleries, and
eateries. All spill out onto a pedestrian center that is lined with
trees, flowers, and benches.
In 1995, Palmer Gillis, a developer with
Gillis Gilkerson, Inc. and member of the city council, began
renovating the former Woolworth's building on the downtown plaza
with an investment of $2.2 million. City taxes on this
building went up more than 500 percent between 1995 and 1997, but
Gillis is not complaining. He says that figure is still
one-third less than he would have had to pay on a lesser-quality
building. "It's good news for the city and county because
they...didn't have to extend roads, subsidize anything to get a
substantial increase in 24 months time." The Gallery
building, as it's now named, provides pedestrian access between
rear city parking and the storefront. City parking revenue is a
barometer of how well the plaza is doing, Gillis says. Two years
ago revenue was $260,000, this year it is $406,000.
"The next need for redevelopment downtown is to
address residential use," says Gillis. The city is working to find
the correct balance between commercial, residential, and retail
space.