Salem Economic Development Director Leah Dellicarpini is seeing positive signs on the local economy with developments started last year and planned for this year. She told the monthly luncheon of the Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce on Thursday 2025 will be the year for downtown revitalization.
Dellicarpini noted 13 projects were approved in the city’s Enterprise Zone along with three in the tax increment financing districts during 2024. She says the Downtown TIF projects include Stanford Enterprises and a revitalization of a vacant strip shopping center on West Schwartz by Zach Rose. Rose is planning to locate a gun store in the center and could rent to other businesses. Bromley Excavating is developing a new business in the Salem Industrial Park from the Industrial TIF.
Dellicarpini noted 2024 was good for housing development with four new homes constructed along with 20 apartment units. Another phase of Hilda Garden Apartments on Airport Road is expected to follow in 2025. Dellicarpini also noted the construction of the new Scooters Coffee and Wabash Communications buildings.
She’s also pleased with several businesses that sold to new owners including Salem Building Materials, Larimer Abstract and Collision Specialists. In addition, Village Garden’s Restaurant reopened. Dellicarpini feels the investment by new owners is significant.
“Salem is not dying. I think sometimes there’s this narrative out there that Salem is kind of headed to hell in a handbasket, and that’s not true,” Dellicarpini said. “That’s not true by the data, I don’t think it’s true anecdotally. I’m not sure where that narrative exactly stems from, but if you look at what’s been going on around town over the last couple of years, you’re not seeing that.”
Dellicarpini is also looking for significant development in 2025 as the city finalizes plans for TIF 4 and concentrates on downtown revitalization.
“My job is to figure out how we make our citizens wealthier,” Dellicarpini said. “I’m not going to be able to put money in people’s pockets, so it’s a question of how we grow our town, how we grow our businesses. It’s a complicated issue, but that’s going to be the way that I think, is how will this make a Salem community member wealthier and have a better life in our town. I would ask the chamber to join us in that and figure out what their piece in that is.”
Dellicarpini said Salem residents should feel encouraged for the future and feel positive on being in a safe and friendly community.
