The city of Salem is clearing the way to sell a pair of its properties along Main Street, as developers eye the commercial corridor for a new round of retail projects. And it's not just the work on the West Salem Plaza.

"When it rains, it pours," City Manager Kevin Boggess said, referring to some "interesting proposals" for development. "It's just a matter of putting the right pieces together."

Boggess declined to link a potential land sale to potential development, or name who could be moving to town. He said the city wants to make two properties available if "a higher and better use" appears, he said.

If residents had their say, that better use would be a Chick-fil-A. The chicken-themed eatery tops residents' wish lists, along with retailers Kohl's and Target. The city has said it would like Salem to score shops or eateries unique to the Roanoke Valley.

At its 7:30 p.m. meeting today, Salem City Council will hold a public hearing to consider selling properties at 40 Dixie Drive and 4127 W. Main Street in Roanoke County.

The first is a 4-acre parcel that sits behind the Olde Salem Garage and is valued at $209,900, according to Salem assessment data. The second is the 15-acre former Glenvar Water Treatment Plant, a deep tract that stretches from Main Street to Interstate 81, that is valued at about $1.5 million, according to Roanoke County assessment data.

However, Boggess said the city would rely on separate appraisals in valuing the properties.

Announcements about a potential sale follow building momentum for development on Main Street, which seems immune to a weakening economy.

"We get inquiries everyday about property we have available," said Melinda Payne, the city's director of planning and development.

But along that busy commercial row, new development can mean redevelopment -- which is the case for the West Salem Plaza, slated to be replaced by a national big-box retailer.

The new store's name hasn't been released, though for years the chatter in Salem has centered on the home improvement chain Lowe's.

And some popular side projects may follow it. "Usually one good thing will draw something else," Luke Waldrop, owner of Salem's Spartan Square Shopping Center, said last month.

Waldrop mentioned the Lowe's that went up along U.S. 220 in South Roanoke. A Starbucks moved across the street and so did a Chick-fil-A.