Salisbury council moves three annexation proposals forward, including Pemberton Drive and wastewater site

At a Jan. 13 work session, the Salisbury City Council gave consensus to move forward with three separate annexation proposals that would add parcels along Pemberton Drive, Pine Way/Route 13 and adjacent to the city’s wastewater treatment plant to city limits.

City planner Amanda Rodriguez told the council the first proposal covers a 1.12-acre parcel on the northerly side of Pemberton Drive. The owner proposes subdividing the parcel into two lots and constructing a single-family home on the unimproved lot. Rodriguez said the applicant has requested full participation in the city’s Here’s Home incentive despite having missed several project milestones during staff turnover; she said the initial agreement had been signed by an agreed deadline but the building-permit milestone was not completed while the property remained under county jurisdiction.

The second item is an annexation for parcels on the easterly side of Route 13 and the northeast side of Pine Way totaling about 2.95 acres. Rodriguez said the parcels were in Wicomico County’s C-2 general commercial zoning district and that the applicant requested a comparable general commercial designation on annexation; the planning commission forwarded a favorable recommendation in December 2021.

The third proposal would annex about 5.96 acres southeast of Pemberton Drive that the city already owns and uses as storage and staging for the wastewater treatment plant. Rodriguez said the area is mostly unimproved except for two storage sheds and that planning and zoning recommended an industrial designation; she told council members impacts on the surrounding neighborhood and city infrastructure were judged minimal.

Council members asked for clarifications on the Pemberton Drive milestones and on ownership and planned use for the Pine Way parcels. Rodriguez said staff would pursue the technical permit history and noted the county retained building-permit jurisdiction while the property remained unannexed.

Each item was discussed as an introduction/resolution and the council indicated consensus to advance them to the next legislative step; formal annexation ordinances and final votes will return to the council for later meetings.

Ending: The council did not adopt ordinances at the Jan. 13 work session; staff will prepare formal legislative items and any related documents, including updated Here’s Home participation details and zoning confirmations, for future meetings where the council will take final action.