SALISBURY — The Salisbury Planning Board fine tuned language in the city’s sidewalk ordinance Tuesday and recommended the changes to City Council.

Most concerns about the city’s sidewalk program have to do with requiring sidewalks next to existing streets during development, said Preston Mitchell, the city’s Planning and Development Services manager. Planning board members recommended the city drop the requirement for sidewalks along existing streets in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, an area just beyond the city limits.

Mitchell said the city does not maintain sidewalks in the ETJ, and there have been instances where developers put them in along existing streets and then they were not maintained. The city does maintain sidewalks along new streets in the ETJ, Mitchell said.

Planning board members also recommended the city only require a maximum of 400 feet of sidewalk with a parking lot expansion or building expansion within the city limits. Four hundred feet is about the length of one city block.

“We are building in a level of equity,” Mitchell said.

Relatively small developments on large tracts of land were requiring sidewalks as long as 1,000 feet, he said.

“To staff, that seems unreasonable,” Mitchell said.

Limiting the sidewalk length for developers is more business-friendly, he said.

New development would not have the 400-foot maximum and would require sidewalks the entire length of the development.

Developers who build a new street still would have to build sidewalks with no exceptions. With development on existing streets in the city limits, developers can build sidewalks or pay in lieu.

In other business Tuesday:

• There is potential commercial development on at the intersection of West Jake Alexander Boulevard, Statesville Boulevard and Wood Avenue, near Community One Bank and the American Red Cross, Mitchell said.

To be business-friendly, the city’s requested rezoning about seven acres or 12 parcels by removing the general development A overlay, which Mitchell said was outdated and unnecessary.

During a courtesy hearing, developer Jake Alexander said he and two partners own the largest tract in the area in question and spoke in favor of the rezoning. He did not specify any potential development.

• New members Shaun Brixey and Bill Burgin were sworn in. Carl Repsher was re-elected chairman, and David Post was elected vice chairman.

• Planning Board recommended approval for the city of Salisbury’s request to rezone about 20 acres or seven parcels located on the east side of Faith Road from general residential G-3 to rural residential. The addresses are 1210, 1230, 1304, 1308, 1312 and 1316 Faith Road.

• The board sent Livingstone College’s request to permit agriculture within the institutional campus zoning district to a committee.

Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.