For this master plan, industrial areas include large and small-scale manufacturing, assembly, warehousing and distribution facilities. As with the balance of this plan, industrial areas are separated into those that were established before World War II (Older Industrial Areas), those that were established from after the war to the present day (Newer Industrial Areas), and those that have yet to be developed (Industrial Areas Yet to Be).

Salisbury's older industrial areas are primarily manufacturing buildings and sites that developed with a strong linkage to railroad lines. Generally, older industrial areas may be found on either side of the railroad tracks north, south and west of the downtown area.

Characteristics common to older industrial areas include a predominance of masonry construction, two or more stories in height, with low ceilings and small sites relative to building size. Multiple story structures allowed a greater proportion of the total square footage of the building to huddle closer to the rail connection. Two or more stories could also be built on less land, so industrial parcels tended to be smaller. Low ceilings allowed for economical construction, while still permitting labor-intensive operations to be carried on efficiently.

As most workers either walked or road public transit to work, these older industrial enterprises had little or no parking areas for cars. Often, these early manufacturing plants located immediately adjoining residential areas to facilitate walking from home to work. In many instances, the residential areas adjoining the manufacturing plant where built by the owners of the manufacturing firm to ensure a reliable workforce close at hand. Hence, the "mill village" became a standard development form for many small towns during the early 20th-century, including Salisbury. (e.g. Cannon Mills, Cone Mills)

In addition, older industrial facilities were not isolated from other business enterprises, but often occurred with other commercial services nearby. It was not unusual to find a corner store, barbershop, post office, and other services located either within the mill village or in a small commercial area nearby. Generally speaking, industrial development of the late 19th and early 20th-century was not relegated to isolated tracts of land in remote locations, but was very much a part of the community.

assembly line operations typical of modern industry. Older industrial buildings are also hampered by the presence of asbestos and by difficulties in meeting modern fire codes. As a result, there are many older industrial buildings located near the heart of Salisbury that are unable to function for their intended purpose. The challenge for the City of Salisbury and for this master plan, then, is to find new uses for these buildings and/or sites.

Given the particular challenges faced by many older industrial properties in Salisbury, what is to become of these obsolete industrial sites? The two most likely options for existing older industrial buildings and sites in Salisbury are (1) adaptive reuse and, when no other option is available, (2) demolition and redevelopment.

In the case of adaptive reuse, some former manufacturing structures may lend themselves to residential uses such as loft apartments. Others may be better located and suited for office or institutional uses, while still others may be adaptable for retail use. Some may best work as a mixture of uses, bringing retail, office and residential uses together in a single location.

A good example of successful adaptive reuse, currently nearing completion, is the former Cheerwine Building, located in the 200 block of East Council Street in downtown Salisbury. Originally built as the Mint Cola building in 1903, the structure had been used for the past several decades for storage. In 1995, the structure was donated by the owners to Downtown Salisbury, Inc. and was subsequently turned over to a developer for conversion to a mixed-use project. At present, all of the ground floor office and retail spaces are occupied. Of the six upper floor residential condominiums, five have reportedly been sold.

Another example of adaptive reuse of an obsolete structure involves the Rufty Building, located at the corner of North Main and Liberty Streets. In 1995, the former plumbing supply warehouse was gutted and refurbished for use as the Rowan County Justice Center. While the exterior skin of the 1910 structure was completely stripped and replaced, the superstructure of the building was left fundamentally intact. Perhaps more significantly, by rehabilitating the existing structure, rather than tearing it down, the building’s position in relation to the street helped preserve the original streetscape.

A third adaptive reuse initiative, just getting under way in downtown Salisbury, is the Flowers Bakery project, located in the 100 block of North Lee Street. The former bakery was recently acquired by the City of Salisbury as a pivotal element in the continued revitalization and preservation of the downtown area. At present, the City is soliciting proposals for the adaptive reuse of the bakery into a mixed-use development. Potential uses for the structure include office condominiums, residential apartments and/or retail space.

In some instances, adaptive reuse of an existing, older industrial building may not be feasible. Such buildings may be severely handicapped by asbestos, fire code issues, unworkable structural designs, or other factors. In other instances, an older industrial building may have no redeeming architectural or historic value and may, in fact, be an eyesore in the community.

Nonetheless, when there is no alternative other than the removal of an existing structures, it is important that any new structure(s) be compatible with the neighborhood context within which the redevelopment occurs. Often, the city’s older industrial buildings are located in the midst of a larger, non-industrial area. The surrounding larger "neighborhood" may include small businesses and existing residences. Perhaps these businesses and homes were once part of the mill village surrounding the original plant, Perhaps they just grew into the area during the early years of the city’s development. Regardless, such redevelopment literally offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a profound improvement in the character and quality of the neighborhood. It is important that such opportunities not be squandered. Such redevelopment should therefore respect the character of the surrounding area, including street layout, pedestrian movement, building scale, building setbacks relative to the street, placement of parking, landscaping, lighting and other design issues.

In addition, it is important to note that compatibility with the neighborhood context does not necessarily mean the construction of new buildings of a scale and design just like the old ones. The old buildings, in fact, may have been out of scale, poorly placed, brightly lit, etc. in a manner that did not contribute to the quality and livability of the surrounding neighborhood. Rather, the focus should be on new buildings and site development that improve the quality, character and livability of the neighborhood, within appropriate context.

(Also see the chapter on Downtown Salisbury, particularly regarding the advent of expanded passenger rail service, and its potential to stimulate adaptive reuse and redevelopment in the downtown area.)

Just as the advent of the automobile led to the departure of many city residents to the suburbs after World War II, so did the development of trucking lead to the departure of many industries to suburban locations. Shipping by truck, which began in the 1920s but took hold in a major way after the Second World War, made it possible for many industries to cut their ties to the railroad. At the same time, the widespread use of automobiles enabled workers to break away from walking and mass transit oriented neighborhoods.

The changed nature of post-war industrial operations also favored larger suburban land tracts. To take advantage of assembly line operations and modern methods of handling materials, manufacturers and distributors required expansive, single story plants rather than the traditional multi-story mills of the 19th and early 20th century. The need for more land area provided the push for existing manufacturing operations to move out of the city and for new industries to no longer even consider a central city location.

One mid-twentieth century study, which documented the movement of new manufacturing plants away from rail oriented locations, showed that the proportion of plants served by railroad sidings fell from 63 percent for sites acquired before 1920 to 40 percent for sites acquired between 1946 and 1956.¹ The same study found that plants built outside the older, rail oriented central parts of an urban area occupied an average of 1,040 square feet of land per worker before 1922. Plants built after 1945 took up an average of 4,550 square feet per worker, or over four times as much space.

A good example of the postwar industrial/distribution center model is the Food Lion warehouse and distribution center located on Harrison Road on the west side of Salisbury. While there is a rail spur to the site, Food Lion relies heavily on truck transportation. From this location on Harrison Road, trucks may travel on U.S. Highway 70 west to Statesville, and there gain access to Interstates 77 and 40. Trucks may also take Harrison Road to Jake Alexander Boulevard, and from there travel about four miles to Interstate 85.

concerned the possibility of developing that portion of the park closest to the Interstate 85 intersection for commercial purposes (e.g. hotel and restaurant development).

Two other industrial parks include Southmark Commercial Center, located on U.S. 29/601, approximately 1.5 miles east of Interstate 85, and Whitney Industrial Park, located 1.5 miles from Interstate 85 and 3/4 of a mile to U.S. 29.

Issues concerning Salisbury’s Newer Industrial Areas deal mainly with problems of compatibility of some industrial operations with nearby non-industrial land uses and, to a lesser extent, property upkeep and appearance of some industrial sites along the city’s major roadways. While the vast majority of industrial operations are good neighbors and good corporate citizens, there are a few which cause problems for their neighbors and for the image of the community at large. These few problem industries are the focus the policies which follow.

Despite the suburbanization (and spreading out) of the United States, the age-old problems regarding the incompatibility of some industrial operations with nearby residential areas persist. In Salisbury, the Planning Board and City Council must wrestle, from time to time, with issues raised by neighborhood residents concerning noxious impacts from nearby industrial operations. These impacts typically involve odors, smoke, noise, bright lights and/or truck traffic.

Salisbury’s zoning ordinance includes language to address such impacts. The City’s Light Industrial District (M-1) for example, includes the following provision:

Further, the City’s Heavy Industrial District (M-2) includes the following provision:

The problem with these two provisions is that the wording is so vague that enforcement is difficult. For the ordinance to be effective, the meaning of these various environmental impacts should be accurately defined according to measurable, quantitative thresholds. In zoning ordinances, such thresholds are most often referred to as performance standards. Examples of performance standards include numerical estimates of the following factors relative to industrial operations:

In addition, the City may want to establish, as official policy, acceptable thresholds for other types of impacts. These quantitative thresholds are also useful as recruitment criterion for economic development in bringing in or facilitating the expansion of business and industry. The criterion might include such factors as:

• energy consumed per job or tax base unit
• water consumed per job or tax base unit
• volume of solid waste produced per job or tax base unit
• land area consumed per job or tax base unit
• number of jobs generated relative to environmental impacts
• wage rates/total payroll generated relative to environmental impacts

Lastly, there may be some qualitative measures which would help the City decide upon the compatibility of a new industry with the general health safety and welfare of the public:

• pollution control systems/assurances of environmental protection
• previous track record of the industry as a whole
• the general nature and risk involved with the particular hazardous or toxic substances used in manufacturing process

Please note that the evaluation of these factors is not as simple as punching numbers into a computer and "out pops the answer". It will still be necessary for City officials to employ measured judgment in weighing the various factors before reaching a conclusion. Nonetheless, such factors can be very useful in creating predictability and consistency in making decisions.

intent is pronounced in the zoning ordinance, the following industrial uses may be permitted in the City’s M-1 and M-2 zoning districts:

Several observations are in order concerning this situation. First, most of the above listed, potentially noxious industries are limited to the M-2 district. This is significant because the M-2 zoning district is far less expansive than the M-1 district in terms of the amount of acreage in the city designated as such. Even so, several M-2 districts are immediately adjoining residential neighborhoods. Examples include an approximate 160+ acre area zoned M-2 along Jake Alexander Boulevard near the Milford Hills neighborhood, an estimated 75 acre area adjoining Long Street north of the downtown, and an estimated 60 acre area adjoining Klumac Road on the south side of the city. Two other smaller "heavy" industrial districts adjoin the railroad tracks west of downtown, within close proximity to existing residential neighborhoods. Each of these situations present an on-going, if as yet, unrealized threat to the neighborhoods nearby.

Second, despite a general knowledge about the likely impacts associated with certain types of industries, it is sometimes unfair or inaccurate to characterize all industries of a certain type as being "heavy" or "light". With today’s rapidly changing technologies, an industry that was once universally accepted as being heavy and, therefore, assumed to be more noxious, may not be so today. Other industries, which generally might be assumed to be "light", may in fact produce very toxic substances that are difficult to safely dispose of. Oftentimes, more information is needed.

expansion will not exceed such thresholds is placed upon the industry itself. Two, the ordinance can effectively shield the community from any industry, regardless of its name, which fails stay under acceptable thresholds of environmental impact.

Therefore, Policy I-4 lends further support to the need for the City to develop clear, environmentally based performance standards to achieve these objectives. Once such performance standards are in place the City will have a much stronger policy and regulatory framework upon which to: (a) stop the expansion of existing industries which could do additional harm (i.e. non-conforming industrial uses) and (b) prevent the establishment of new industries which could create harm.

Landscape buffering is oftentimes employed to reduce or "cushion" levels of incompatibility between adjoining industrial and residential uses. For so-called "light" industries, such buffering may involve a simple hedgerow or other planted landscape screen with minimal spatial separation between the adjoining uses. For "heavy" industries, the buffer between adjoining incompatible uses may involve the retention or establishment of sizable trees and dense undergrowth, as well as a greater buffer width, perhaps involving considerable acreage to increase the distance between the uses.

Unfortunately, some existing residential neighborhoods in Salisbury have undesirable, unbuffered exposure to existing industrial sites. Impacts from such exposure may be visual, such as homes looking out upon large industrial buildings and associated operations, or it may be odor, noise and/or bright lights. All of these impacts can be mitigated to some extent by the introduction of landscaped screening and buffers between the industry and nearby residences.

job practicable to achieve maximum screening benefit. Also, when such buffers incorporate a fence or wall, the fence or wall should be located in from the property line of the industry so as to allow room for plantings to occur on the side of the fence toward the residential use.

Ideally, new residential developments should keep their distance from existing industrial uses, and vice versa, thereby minimizing potential land use conflicts. However, as Salisbury’s urban area moves farther into the countryside and developable land becomes more scarce, it is not uncommon for new residential development to move into sites adjoining existing industrial areas. (This situation is further facilitated, unfortunately, by the widespread designation of large areas of Salisbury for industrial zoning- which also permits residential use.)

Policy I-5 therefore recognizes that when new residential development is proposed for property adjoining a pre-existing industrial operation, the industry should not be asked to shoulder the burden of providing for a landscaped buffer. Rather, the developer of the residential property should allow for enough buffer area between the neighborhood and the industry to fully screen the industry. Most often, this screening will occur in the form of wooded areas owned by the developer to be left uncleared. In other situations, it may require the installation of a screening fence, landscape berms and additional planted materials.

This policy therefore directs industries located along the City’s’ major entryway corridors to provide for adequate attractive landscaping, buffering and/or screening consistent with beautification efforts of other development forms. At the same time, this policy recognizes that there may be some industrial and warehousing operations that are located "off the beaten path", largely out of sight, perhaps in the midst of an industrial district. In these situations, landscaping and visual buffering may not be necessary, or may require a much lower level of enhancement. In such cases, the policy calls upon each industry to voluntarily provide for landscaping appropriate to the context of their site.

For several reasons, it is likely that Salisbury may see no further industrial development within its present borders, at least in terms of traditional "heavy" industry. The city itself has few remaining sites for major new industry. There simply are not that many sizable land tracts within the corporate limits available and suitable for industrial development. Competition from the commercial, office, and residential development sectors has driven up the cost of remaining opportunity sites; a large-scale industrial development seeking a location in the Salisbury area will logically look to sites outside the city. The balance of this policy section, therefore, will focus primarily on those types of industries that can fit comfortably within the existing urban fabric of Salisbury. Manufacturing enterprises locating within the City of Salisbury will likely be light manufacturing, production and assembly operations requiring smaller land tracts than their "heavier" counterparts.

Firms seeking to locate in Salisbury will continue to do so because of the recognized high quality of life that the area offers. In today's industrial recruitment world, it is not unusual for an industry to choose one community over another due to factors not directly related to industrial production. When choosing a location, corporate decision-makers are not only looking for a qualified labor force, reasonable wage rates, favorable tax structure and available infrastructure, but also for an excellent parks system, quality schools, a vibrant city center, attractive streets and architecture and other factors. In Salisbury’s case, these various quality of life factors are what give the area its greatest competitive advantage over other locales.

Salisbury and Rowan County’s strategic location along the Interstate 85 "Boom Belt" between the Charlotte metropolitan area and the Piedmont Triad area offers enormous potential for quality industrial development. Local industry recruiters, in fact, identify road access to Interstate 85 as perhaps the single most important factor in identifying potential sites for new industry. In addition, recent initiatives by Rowan County officials indicate the County's interest in creating a relatively broad swath of commercial/industrial uses along the Interstate 85 corridor.

Interstate 85 just north of the Town of China Grove.) Much of this corridor is outside the planning jurisdiction of the City of Salisbury. As noted elsewhere in this plan, however, the City is the most likely provider of water and sewer services to the area. Any such development should occur only through careful coordination among the various local governments involved. (See chapter on Water and Sewer Services.)

While there is general support in Salisbury for new industries and businesses offering higher paying jobs, there is not blind support for having new industry simply because it is new or bigger. Rather, new industry is especially favored when it enhances economic opportunity and the quality of life of area residents. Specifically, new growth is especially welcomed when it is compatible with the area’s natural and cultural resources, when it presents a good fit with area infrastructure, and when it offers opportunity to area workers to employ and upgrade their skills.

For the past two decades in particular Salisbury has been steadily emerging as the service center for Rowan County and beyond. Salisbury’s population growth is being driven in large measure by the movement of small service businesses to the area. In fact, national economic studies covering the 1990’s have reported that the vast majority of all new jobs in the United States created during this period were generated by small businesses.

While small businesses may not receive a level of public recognition equal to that of a ground breaking for a major new plant, collectively, they may have an equal or greater impact on the economy. Small businesses that ship their products outside the community and service enterprises that serve customers outside the area are no less export industries than a manufacturer of widgets. Salisbury should therefore explicitly recognize small businesses as an integral part of the community’s overall economic development strategy. This means creating a financial and regulatory environment conducive to the establishment and growth of small businesses.

from the downtown area to the limits of the City's planning jurisdiction is zoned for industry. In addition, there is another large sector of the city zoned for industry located south of the intersection of U.S. 601 and the southbound rail line. Many large tracts of land in the vicinity of the Rowan County Airport are zoned for manufacturing and most of the properties fronting on both sides of Main Street north of downtown Salisbury are zoned for industry.

Some of this excess of industrially zoned land may be explained by the "pyramidal" structure of the City's zoning ordinance. Pyramidal zoning means that uses of a lesser intensity may be permitted in zoning districts of a higher level intensity, but not vice versa. Hence, a pyramid is constructed with manufactured zoning districts at the base, allowing for the broadest range of land uses, and single-family residential zoning districts at the top, allowing for the narrowest range of land uses.

While the M-1 zoning district allows for great flexibility in the use of land, it may also have a destabilizing effect on neighborhoods that fall within the M-1 manufacturing district. With M-1 zoning, for example, an existing residential neighborhood could have a manufacturing, warehouse, or distribution facility with associated truck traffic move in next door. The situation may not be advantageous to the prospective industrial operation either. Most manufacturing and distribution operations choose locations where they can avoid potential conflicts with surrounding neighborhoods. It is therefore important that the City carefully examine its industrially zoned land, as well as the structure of its zoning ordinance to properly address and resolve issues related to the current M-1 district and its application in Salisbury.