SALISBURY — State official Jake Day stepped inside a future expansion of the Brick Room’s Division Street footprint in Salisbury, hearing from owner Alex Scott on how he hopes to fill a void downtown by opening a cafe this fall.
The Aug. 13 visit of Wicomico County was the 14th stop of Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Day’s statewide “Day Trip,” a series of events in which he and members of his staff meet with business owners, local officials and residents to listen to the needs of each community in the state he visits.
Day’s visit to the under-construction space at 120 N. Division St. — formerly the home of Together Cafe — was one of his last stops of the afternoon, which began at the site of a future TidalHealth medical clinic on E. Church St.
“This will be a casual fast-grab atmosphere. … Our goal is to have you in and out of here in five minutes with both a sandwich and drink in hand,” Scott said, as Day scanned the room.
In total, Day's team announced $21.6 million in investments in Wicomico County, passing out ceremonial checks to each recipient while hearing how each project could revitalize the region. The projects centered around medical, broadband, housing, real estate and downtown businesses.
“You can see the breadth of our organization and the impact we can have on places when we start concentrating resources,” said Day, a Salisbury native.
Day started his “Day Trip” by visiting 805 E. Church St., the former home of Hotel Esther, and the future site of TidalHealth’s Edward Q. Wilgus Community Clinic. The health provider was presented with $1 million to aid in construction.
The 1.8-acre site will be the future home of a community clinic and a home base for TidalHealth’s resident physicians specializing in internal medicine. When finished, the clinic is slated to accommodate between 12,000 and 15,000 visits annually.
Hospital officials said the clinic is needed in the underserved community and will be a walkable solution, so residents don’t have to rely on public transportation.
“This is going to offer the community access, and we are going to offer financial assistance and those things for the public to understand that they can get services,” Dr. Simona Eng said. “They don’t have to worry about finances when they come to our clinic.”
City, county and state officials followed Day to the second stop of the day, the Frances J. Tilghman Memorial Dog Park on N. Park Dr. Day was greeted with a broadband drill demo by internet service provider Simple Fiber, even taking over the controls towards the end of the nearly 30-minute stop.
Day’s department is providing $1.6 million to Wicomico County to improve broadband in the area from the Office of State Broadband’s Home Stretch program.
The funds will go towards improving local connectivity, with Simple Fiber, Choptank Fiber, Comcast and Talkie Communications doing the work in a joint effort.
Bret Davis of Simple Fiber told those in attendance that they are excited about their partnership with the state of Maryland and the housing authority.
“There are 500 affordable housing units that are owned by the state housing authority and the local housing authority,” Davis said. “Every single unit will have access to the internet for only $20 a month.”
The funding will also allow them to reach rural customers who haven’t been able to fit into previous programs.
The next stop by Day, his team and other officials was Lot 30 on W. Main Street, a place of historical significance for the city of Salisbury.
“If you don’t know, right here on this piece of ground was once called Black Main Street,” Day said. “This was a thriving business district. This was a thriving location. This was a place where wealth existed, and wealth could be built.”
But the former businesses were torn down by federal urban renewal dollars in the 1980s and 1990s, according to Day, resulting in a "scar."
Day presented a check of more than $18 million to SBY Market Center for a mixed-use project. Green Street Housing plans to build a multi-family apartment building consisting of 51 units and 11,000 square feet of commercial space for a mix of incomes, including low-income and workforce housing.
The ground floor will consist of amenities for residents, a business incubator and a market space that Day said he hopes draws Black-owned businesses from Salisbury West Side and other areas to “once again create those wealth-building opportunities.”
After a lunch break at The Ross, Day presented a $500,000 check to Salisbury Town Apartments, LLC to help with the infrastructure of the proposed project near Unity Square.
“This is a turning point for Salisbury,” said developer Brad Gillis. “This is a great project for Salisbury. We think that it is going to be a focal point for our downtown.”
Before ending the day with a business roundtable with area officials, Day toured future downtown businesses, including the Brick Room expansion, woman-owned construction management firm InSite|BUILD and a future wine bar/market on W. Main Street.
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development provided $525,000 in funding for small businesses in Salisbury through several department grants, including Project Restore 2.0, Business Boost and Main Street Improvement.
The owners of the yet-to-be-named wine bar said there will be lounge seating, a wine cellar, a small market, workshops, book clubs, live music and wine tastings. They hope to open next summer.
“Why retail struggles here is that there is not a sequential nature to walking downtown. …You come and you grab dinner and then you depart,” said Bret Davis, who is in partnership with Nicole Rogers and Jessica Mason. Davis added that it will be the biggest establishment downtown at 8,800 square feet.
“It’s good to be in my hometown during the daylight. … I still call Salisbury home,” said Day, reflecting on his tour. “I’m proud to call this place home.”
Reach Managing Editor Richard Caines at rcaines@iniusa.org.
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