Housing plans sought for former Allegany High site
Apr. 21—CUMBERLAND — Allegany County officials voted Thursday to issue a request for proposals from prospective developers to construct residential housing at the former Allegany High School site.
Plans contained in the RFP could involve construction of 100 to 115 non-apartment housing units constructed on the 12-acre site situated on the city's West Side, according to Adam Strott, county economic development specialist.
Strott presented details on the RFP at the regular meeting of the Allegany County Board of Commissioners.
"As we all know, a lack of market-rate housing is a barrier for us to attract or retain a qualified workforce here in Allegany County," said Strott.
A new Allegany High School was constructed on Haystack Mountain in 2018 and the old school on Sedgwick Street was demolished and cleared last year.
"This project is the culmination of months of planning and coordination with the city of Cumberland to develop owner-occupied new housing at the site ... which has the potential to fit 100 to 115 units there," said Strott.
The commissioners voted unanimously to finalize the RFP and publish it beginning April 21. Dave Caporale, president of the board, said, "I know we've been discussing this for quite some time and we're very excited to see it moving forward. It's a very good project."
Following the meeting, Strott offered additional details in an interview with the Times-News.
"We are asking for what is called middle-density housing, which consists of town homes, duplexes and cottage courts," he said.
Cottage courts consist of a small group of 1- to 1.5-story detached homes constructed around a common courtyard. The court design typically eliminates the need for a backyard.
"We want to keep the houses affordable, so anywhere from $200,000 to $250,000 is the target for roughly 80% of the units and then $250,000 to $300,000 for roughly 20% of the units.
"You are not looking at high rises," said Strott. "You are looking at houses with the maximum height of 2.5 stories. So they will fit seamlessly into the neighborhood while maintaining a significant amount of green space. That is the hope."
The county included a traffic study so they can develop plans to have two-way traffic in the subdivision.
"The county isn't mandating to any developer what they should develop, but what we're doing is giving ideas," said Strott. "We want intergenerational living where you do have housing that is appropriate for people who are aging out of single family homes and want to have something that requires less maintenance. Single story living instead of multiple stories."
The subdivision is being designed so it won't conflict with the plans being developed for the former Memorial Hospital site, which is expected to include hundreds of apartment units in structures up to four stories.
Strott said the deadline for submission of RFPs is June 30. The bids will be unsealed on July 10 with the commissioners ready to vote on the selection of the developer by July 27.
The county currently is allowing sports teams to use the two ball fields at the site. However, the usage of fields will end about the time the developers would need the work to begin.
Construction could begin in November, said Strott. The county will be providing $4 million in site work to install utility lines and contour the land, the cost of which they expect to largely be covered by grant funding.
County officials hope to have at least 85% of units sold by June 2025.
Greg Larry is a reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. To reach him, call 304-639-4951, email glarry@times-news.com and follow him on Twitter @GregLarryCTN.
