Salisbury–The City of Salisbury and Davis Strategic Development are proud to announce the acquisition and upcoming development of the shuttered Campbell Soup factory at 510 West Rd.
Acquired by Davis Strategic Development in late 2022, the 310,000 sq. foot space will be utilized by a number of local businesses and anchored by Chesapeake Shipbuilding as a secondary location for their building operations, joining their current facility at 710 Fitzwater St. The first phase of construction is already underway, including demolition of roughly 60,000 square feet of unusable space, construction of new offices, installation of new lighting and HVAC, and repairs to the existing equipment.
“This is the largest blighted building Salisbury has ever had, making it our highest priority in revitalizing this community,” says Bret Davis, Owner of Davis Strategic Development. “We hope to bring back some of the jobs lost from its closing decades ago.”
Campbell Soup occupied the space from 1946 to 1993, and at its closing, employed over 800 employees. The building’s first tenant since 1993 and one of Salisbury’s largest employers, the expansion will allow Chesapeake Shipbuilding to store additional materials, increase their output, and expand their workforce. In the future, they hope to build smaller vessels on site.
“This acquisition is a clear symbol of growth for our City–a 310,000 sq. foot factory, shuttered for nearly three decades, opening its doors once again to a new industry. When our homegrown businesses are outgrowing their headquarters, I consider that a sign of success,” said Mayor Jake Day. “Thank you to Bret Davis and the team at Davis Strategic Development for their commitment to breathing new life into this iconic facility in our City, and recognizing it as a place brimming with potential.”
Davis Strategic Development plans to redevelop the site into a mix of housing, retail, community space, and other concepts in about a decade, after a short-term stabilization plan is completed. In order to ensure the site is being used and not decaying further, initial construction efforts will be completed in the next 2 to 3 years.
