Progress continues on a new, market-rate housing development in Cumberland at the former Allegany High School site. The school, which was open from 1926 to 2018 (when the construction of the new high school on Haystack Mountain was completed), was demolished in 2022. The building was deemed to be “past its usable life” and contained hazardous building elements such as asbestos and lead that were often used in older construction. After demolition, the site (12 acres) underwent remediation to clean up any contamination so that it could be used for residential infill development.  The need for new, affordable housing in Allegany County has been an issue for some time, and that urgency only heightened as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation. “High costs of living is a statewide crisis, but Allegany County is especially in need of affordable housing. In 2021, the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) for a family of four in Maryland was $26,500,” says Michele Walker, Executive Director of County United Way, Inc. “The most recent ALICE Report shows that 34% of Allegany County households earned more than the FPL, but less than the basic cost of living for the county, meaning they can’t afford the essentials needed to survive. It's important we provide more affordable housing for Allegany residents.” 

Yesterday, April 20th, 2023, the Allegany County Commissioners approved a motion to publish a request for proposal (RFP) for the redevelopment of the roughly 12 acres located at the site of the former Allegany High School. The County is seeking developers to build market-rate, owner occupied housing on the site. The County will be leveraging grant funds to build infrastructure and conduct sitework, so that units will remain affordable to the average homebuyer. The County hopes to target a per-unit price of $200,000 to $250,000 for 80% of units and $250,000 to $300,000 per unit for 20% of the units. Those entities interested in submitting a proposal may find the RFP and its requirements at the County's website or by visiting eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA) under project name "Request for Proposals: Development of Market Rate Housing on County Owned Land (Cumberland, MD)." During the initial period of the bid opening, all potential bidders may ask questions until Monday, May 22, 2023. All questions will be answered in a timely manner that corresponds with Allegany County Procurement Policy and the Maryland Procurement Manual, and shall be published within 48 hours of the close of questioning, with all questions to be published as an addendum no later than close of business (4:00 PM EDT) of Wednesday, May 24, 2023. Bids will no longer be accepted after the close of the bid period, which is Friday, June 30, at close of business (4:00 PM EDT). Once all bids have been received, they will be unsealed and sent to the review committee the following Monday, July 3, 2023. The review committee will take three weeks to review all bids and select winners. The target date for announcing the winners will be Thursday, July 28, 2023. However, depending on the volume of bids received, this may be subject to change, but will be clearly communicated. Please direct all queries regarding the project to Adam Strott, Economic Development Specialist, at astrott@alleganygov.org.