July 12, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 87 Salisbury Project Timetable Released By TRAVIS BROWN STAFF WRITER SALISBURY – Developers for the River’s Edge apartment project updated the Salisbury City Council last week on the progress they have made since last appearing over the winter. A very tentative construction date of September 2014 was floated. Additionally, developers asked if the city might want to explore further partnerships involving River’s Edge, such as a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) plan as well as assisting in making the development more accessible for the permanently disabled. “We’re making progress with our investors, lenders and the state as well,” Andrew Hanson, a developer with Osprey Property Company, told the council. “In fact, we just received conceptual approval from the planning commission last month just based on still trying to work on some housekeeping issues as it relates to some critical areas as well.” Osprey will be responsible for developing the apartment complex, which they are advertising as an “artist’s community.” Their intent is to give preference for rooms to artists as well as to provide community space that will lend itself to things like concerts, art lessons and small theater productions. It’s a unique idea and has a number of challenges, Hanson admitted. “We have not done an arts community before so we’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out how the arts aspect,” he said, “not so much just the residents but the other spaces there, should look and feel.” Though the arts angle has received a lot of attention during the development process, Hanson stressed that only a “preference” will be given to artists and people who aren’t identified as such may have the opportunity to live in the space. He also underlined that the definition of “artist” that will be used will be very broad and flexible. Besides catering to the arts community, Hanson told the council that River’s Edge continues to seek ways to assist the disabled in the around Salisbury. Recently, Osprey was offered about $200,000 by the Weinberg Foundation to go toward lowering rents on several apartments. Those rooms would be for the permanently disabled only and would not be part of the complex’s overall artist preference theme. Unfortunately, Hanson explained that for the disability project to be feasible around $500,000 would be necessary to make up for lost rent as well as potential vacancies. “There’s an obvious benefit to that and some obvious challenges,” he said of the foundation’s offer. Even if the total funding can’t be found, Hanson promised that RivSEE PAGE 88