“All in all, we’re in pretty good shape,” Wilmington consultant Glenn Harbeck said Tuesday.

Committee members have decided to skip their regular monthly meeting for July while waiting the completion of a downtown master plan and pending reports on city recreation and the water-sewer utility.

The committee originally hoped to have a draft document to council by September.

“This report will be with us for 10 years,” said Councilman Bill Burgin, who chairs the vision committee. “We just can’t shortchange it.”

Over almost two years, the city hired Harbeck, appointed a 15-member vision committee, held a four-month lecture series on growth issues and had a communitywide meeting for public input. Since last summer, Harbeck and the group have concentrated more on actually writing a master plan — policies that will guide Salisbury’s development over the next two decades.

The committee has looked closely at neighborhoods, commercial areas, streets, sidewalks and transportation. On Tuesday, members reviewed policy statements on public transportation, street trees, street lights, utility poles, wires, city entrances, landmarks and vistas.

While broadly worded, the policy statements have far-reaching implications if future officials take them as a blueprint for the city’s development. In some cases, for example, city officials could incorporate the policies into ordinances.

Here are some of policies discussed Tuesday:

• The city may require that transit stops be provided at some future commercial and residential developments.
• No single street tree species should comprise more than 10 to 15 percent of the total street tree population in the city.

Committee members agreed that different areas should each have a concentration of one tree species, to offer continuity. The 10 to 15 percent rule means that when the next devastating tree disease comes along, it would potentially wipe out only that much of the city’s street trees, Harbeck said.

• The planting or preservation of street trees of sufficient size should be required as part of the costs of new residential and commercial developments.
• Where sidewalks are present or anticipated, the city will prefer pedestrian-scaled street lighting.

“That’s pretty significant because you’re doubling your lights,” Burgin said of asking developers to install 12-foot tall poles 90 to 100 feet apart instead of going with the standard 24-foot tall poles 160 to 280 feet apart in a residential area. “This is a fairly substantial investment we’re asking people to make.”

Duke Power would not charge a developer for 10 standard poles, for example. But if the developer had to install pedestrian-scaled lighting, meaning he would need 20 poles, his cost could be $8,000 or more.

• If a neighborhood installs pedestrian-scaled street lighting, it pays for the equipment costs, but residents would not be penalized for the additional operation and maintenance costs.

Ten standard poles would cost $66 a month in operation, maintenance and replacement charges from Duke Power. Twenty pedestrian-scaled poles would cost $150 a month.

• Streetlights should be installed on both sides of a street.
• Major city entrances and “gateway corridors” will receive priority for putting overhead utilities underground.
• High visibility, pedestrian-oriented areas will be second for putting overhead utilities underground.
• Street improvements should be used to announce clearly a city entrance or enhance a gateway corridor.

These improvements might include specific street lights; the introduction of sidewalks, medians, street trees and curb and gutter; bringing buildings up to the street and putting the parking behind; and putting utility wires underground.

• When a bridge is located at a city entry point or important corridor, special “gateway” treatment should be employed to enhance “the sense of arrival in Salisbury.”
• New and expanding businesses should employ architectural standards in keeping with the city’s character, avoiding prototype designs in use everywhere else.

“I want to say do something unique and in keeping with the historical nature of Salisbury,” committee member Steve Fisher said of this policy.

“McDonald’s doesn’t have to look like McDonald’s, and Wal-Mart doesn’t have to look like Wal-Mart,” Harbeck added.

• Large trees, ponds, creeks or other natural features should be saved when locating new buildings, streets, parking lots, etc.