Proposed apartments raise concerns in West Square – Salisbury Post

SALISBURY – On Tuesday, a development representative at 510 South Main Street met with several neighbors from the adjacent community to discuss the prospect of building a 55+ apartment complex on the site.

The 1.81-acre parcel, owned by Pinnacle Ridge, LLC, has a building that currently houses Sidekick Karate of Salisbury and was previously the site of Salisbury Power Equipment.

Wynnefield Properties plans to develop it into a complex with approximately 60 units, ranging from one bedroom to two bedrooms, suitable for residents aged 55 and over. A similar project has already been approved on the other side of South Main Street, where a car dealership previously operated.

During the meeting, Davis Ray of Wynnefield Properties spoke with residents from the nearby West Square neighborhood.

“We want to hear these things so we can come back together and come in and be a good neighbor,” Ray said.

Later in the meeting, he said, “We don’t want to come in as a square peg in a round-hole neighborhood.”

Nothing has been approved at this time, but the developer’s future pitch to the Salisbury Planning Board will be to rezone the site from mixed-use corridor to downtown mixed-use.

As outlined in the Salisbury Land Development Ordinance (LDO), a mixed-use corridor is designed “to facilitate convenient access, minimize traffic congestion, and reduce the visual impact of auto-oriented uses along the city’s older arterial thoroughfares.”

It goes on to say that developments in this district should be “traditionally detailed and encourage pedestrian use through connections to adjacent neighborhoods and the construction of vertically mixed buildings.”

The new zoning requested for the space is for downtown mixed-use, described in the LDO as designed for the traditional downtown area, in that “individual buildings are encouraged to be multi-storey with a mixed-use vertical , commercial and higher street level. office and residential level.”

A higher density of housing is encouraged.

“It is the purpose of these regulations to promote vitality by excluding certain activities that have a negative impact on public space through a car-dominated or non-pedestrian design or use,” the LDO said.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Ray explained a bit about how the apartments would work. There would be coded entrances for residents, and each apartment would be accessed via an internal corridor, where storage space was available.

According to Ray, the complex uses tax breaks to keep rental costs below market. He also said his company would continue to own the property for years to come.

“In the 13 years I was in this role, we sold two properties,” Ray said. “It’s not something we do. We keep track of everything and manage it ourselves.”

Some of the concerns raised by West Square’s neighbors included increased traffic volume on already congested roads. Current plans have an entrance-exit opening onto South Church Street.

Other concerns related to privacy, particularly with a three- or four-story apartment building that would be built next to houses of traditional height.

Two attendees, who own the property called Bonaparte Castle on the same part of South Main Street, said they were “excited about the prospect of connecting this corridor” to the rest of downtown Salisbury.

The next step for the project will be to go before the Salisbury Planning Board. These meetings are held every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 4:00 PM at the City Council Chambers, 217 South Main Street, Salisbury.