Mayor Jake Day today is proud to unveil “Here is Home” – a major economic initiative aimed at solving the current shortage of available housing in Salisbury, and minimizing the effects of the affordability and eviction crises exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comprising three areas of focus, the initiative is built to spark development, reduce cost burden, expand housing solutions for the city’s chronically homeless population by implementing new programs that will fit within the city’s existing departmental structure.
Increasing Supply
To incentivize the construction of new housing stock, “Here is Home” makes use of fee waivers. Property owners and real estate developers will be offered a 90-day window within which they may sign an agreement with the City of Salisbury waiving any and all fees associated with development – including annexation fees. Projects that stay on a defined timeline will pay $0 in city fees. To meet the requirements, a project must receive permits by the end of 2022 and break ground approximately 2 years from 10/1/2021. Occupancy of the development must happen no later than 18 months after groundbreaking for multifamily, or 3 years after groundbreaking for all single-family homes.
Increasing Affordability
Here is Home addresses the affordability crisis by establishing a minimum payment in lieu of taxes for the creation of any subsidized housing in the city. This helps to lessen the cost burden to organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services, by removing city taxes from their list of expenses.
Housing the Homeless
Here is Home expands the efforts of the city’s Housing and Homelessness program, including the construction of a tiny home village consisting of 30 individual homes, supported by showers, bathrooms, mail and storage facilities.
“I’m excited to move Salisbury forward with affordable, available housing for everyone,” said Mayor Day. “With this initiative, we aim not just to lift all boats, but to generate the tide of opportunity that will bear them up. Incentivizing construction creates jobs – every new unit expands our tax base, giving us better ability to fix and expand our infrastructure, and make Salisbury an even better version of the place we love. Making housing more affordable means bringing the dream of homeownership back to reality for our neighbors that find it out of reach today. And helping our chronically homeless brothers and sisters means giving them more than a warm meal and a cot for a night – it means providing them with the centering that comes from having a place to live.
“Salisbury’s star remains ascendant. What we have achieved together is seen, and with this program, we will ensure that our success can be shared by anyone who wants to say that Here is Home.”