Design Review Board approves Wicked Ducks storefront and Gardner-Pingree ramp; Forest River phase two continued
Design Review Board approves two downtown urban renewal projects. The board unanimously greenlighted signage and facade modifications for Wicked Ducks at 304 Essex Street, requiring the Ducks on a Mission sign to be repositioned lower and all fonts to match, with the storefront painted Paddington
Design Review Board · Meeting of April 22, 2026
SALEM — Design Review Board approves two downtown urban renewal projects. The board unanimously greenlighted signage and facade modifications for Wicked Ducks at 304 Essex Street, requiring the Ducks on a Mission sign to be repositioned lower and all fonts to match, with the storefront painted Paddington Blue. At 128 Essex Street, the board unanimously approved an ADA accessible ramp entrance at the Gardner-Pingree House museum, including grade raising, new bulkhead, granite details, planting beds, and illuminated handrails.
The Forest River Residences second phase, proposing up to 145 units through adaptive reuse of three Salem State South Campus buildings plus one new four-story residential structure across multiple addresses, was continued to May 20 pending a material palette mock-up and detailed landscape plan from applicants Winn Development and Icon Architecture.
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Source: the Design Review Board meeting of April 22, 2026, compiled from the official minutes.
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