SALISBURY — The Salisbury City Council approved an agreement at its Oct. 3 meeting with Ellis Land Investment Company, LLC totaling $200,000 in sewer utility costs for their upcoming residential development, Concord Grove. The development is located in China Grove along Mount Hope Church Road, but Ellis Land needs to speak Salisbury regarding the sewer system since the city owns Salisbury-Rowan Utilities.

Ellis Land is requesting that they construct a lift station to connect to SRU instead of a gravity sewer extension. Salisbury’s Construction Standard Manual states that when an outside party wants to employ the SRU system, a gravity sewer extension should be used if it is a logistically possible option. In this case, Salisbury-Rowan Utilities Assistant Director Jason Wilson says that is, but it raises its own challenges.

Wilson said that a manhole 4,000 feet north of the site could act as an access point for a gravity sewer extension, but the distance and the fact that it would go through private property makes accessing those parcels difficult. Lift stations tend to be avoided because of the costs that come with their long-term maintenance. However, Ellis Land is allowed to proceed with a lift station to utilize SRU’s system if they pay Salisbury the $200,000 upfront for 10 years of maintenance costs.

Concord Grove plans on housing over 250 single-family lots on the 140-acre property.