Rolling Mill site slated for Royal Farms convenience store

Jul. 24—CUMBERLAND — Site work is underway for a chain convenience store between Maryland Avenue and Park Street near Interstate 68.

Cumberland Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Matt Miller on Tuesday said the roughly 1.5-acre site is owned by developer RF Cumberland RE LLC and slated for a Royal Farms store.

"There is a signed lease agreement in place between the developer and the end user," he said.

A block retaining wall was built at the property.

"There is an approximate 12-foot difference in grade from one end of the site to the other, east to west, so the wall was constructed to level it out," Miller said.

"It is the developer's obligation to provide a prepared, shovel-ready pad site for the tenant to then improve upon," he said. "This work has been completed by local excavation company JM Kudrick & Sons and some of the additional work, such as the retaining wall, was subcontracted to other companies."

The tenant will be responsible to commence above-grade improvements, Miller said.

"At this time, a general contractor for that work has not been announced," he said.

Miller said plans are underway to bring additional businesses to the area.

"We are currently working with other nationally recognized tenants to occupy the remainder of the site," he said of surrounding buildable space.

Aliyah Atayee, social media and public relations manager for Royal Farms, on Tuesday said no details for a store in Cumberland were available.

"Unfortunately, we do not have any information to provide for this location at this time," she said.

The chain, headquartered in Baltimore, operates more than 200 stores across Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. The chain sells many convenience store items, including chicken, hot and cold sandwiches, subs and wraps, according to its website.

Background

The site is part of a plan that began nearly a decade ago for a commercial center to be built on the former Rolling Mill neighborhood.

The project has been slated to include a hotel, fast service restaurant, sit-down restaurant and retail shops.

The city began purchasing houses on the 6.4-acre tract in the spring 2015.

At that time, the nonprofit CEDC was formed to oversee the project.

Ultimately, the city obtained 70 properties, which includes houses and a church that were razed, for the project.

Teresa McMinn is a reporter for the Cumberland Times-News. She can be reached at 304-639-2371 or tmcminn@times-news.com.