Was Shirdi already a spiritual place before Sai Baba arrived with Chand Patil's group?

Yes, Chapter 5 of the Shri Sai Satcharitra indicates that Shirdi was already home to other holy individuals before Sai Baba's notable return. The text explicitly states that a saint named Devidas had already made Shirdi his home. It also mentions that sometime later, another saint named Janakidas Gosavi came to live in Shirdi as well. This suggests that the town had a pre-existing spiritual atmosphere before Baba's presence made it a major pilgrimage center.