Latest news with #AlleganyCountyBoardofCommissioners
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Changes to city development deal include assisted living facility
CUMBERLAND — City officials Tuesday amended a housing development agreement with TeaBow Residential. 'TeaBow has requested that changes be made,' according to documents that pertain to the amendments. Under the initial deal made last year the developer would build houses on some vacant city lots that cost $1 each. The agreement included nearly a dozen city-owned properties on Arch, Lee, Elder and Knox streets, and Maryland and Pennsylvania avenues. The Allegany County Board of Commissioners last year approved $345,000 for the Infill Development Incentive Program in collaboration with the city of Cumberland. In April 2024, Cumberland's mayor and City Council approved the Infill agreement with TeaBow that stipulated the company had two years to build residential homes on the lots. Documents related to the amendments approved by council Tuesday state 'the city will not issue new building permits for any of the properties' until TeaBow completes construction at 301, 303, 305, 307 and 309 Arch St. and secures an occupancy permit for the structures by June 1. Additionally, TeaBow must complete construction at 321, 323 and 325 Pennsylvania Ave. and secure occupancy permits by April 30, 2026. 'TeaBow must obtain the required number of off-street parking spaces required by the city code before an occupancy permit will be issued,' the documents state. Development of 252 E. Elder St. was amended to include an assisted living facility. 'It must be under roof, connected to public utilities, and all HVAC units and equipment must be installed by April 30, 2026,' the documents state. In other city business, Cumberland will host a spring cleanup day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Neighborhood Dumpster collection sites will be at Braddock Middle School, Constitution Park's Long Field, and the parking lot at Tilghman and School streets. Restricted items include tires, batteries, paint, appliances and hazardous materials. To learn more, call 301-722-2000, ext. 5600, or 301-759-6620.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
County holds purple line hearing, responds to road problem
CUMBERLAND — Proposed changes to Allegany County Transit's Purple Line aim to tailor vehicle sizes to meet the needs of passengers. A public hearing was held on the issue at Thursday's Allegany County Board of Commissioners meeting. The Purple Line is planned to move from a fixed route to a demand and response service. 'Anytime we make any changes to our fixed route ... part of the (process) is a public hearing,' said Allegany County Director of Public Works Adam Patterson. The route currently travels twice a week from Westernport, Barton, Lonaconing and Midland with one trip in the morning and another in the afternoon. It's set to be replaced with a more customized option using Alltrans vehicles. Under the proposal, trip times will be pre-scheduled to meet customers' needs. Seating demands will determine vehicle size for the route. 'We think we'll find some efficiency in being able to send the right size bus,' Patterson said. As a demand-response route, customers in the Georges Creek region will share their ride with other folks who travel to Cumberland. The service will collect passengers who live within within a half-mile of Route 36 at their homes and take them to any destination in the Cumberland area that's on the Maryland side of the West Virginia line. Cost will be $3 per one-way trip. All transit buses are equipped with a wheelchair lift. Patterson said he will present a formal proposal on the issue to the commissioners in a couple weeks. In other county news:Mile Lane resident Brian Diehl said trucks used to mine coal in Pennsylvania are causing road problems for him and his neighbors. 'The new blacktop job from when the water lines were put in is now crumbling,' he said. 'They're breaking the edges off the road ... they don't stop at the stop sign.' In January, one of the trucks broke down in the middle of Mile Lane and closed the road for more than seven hours, Diehl said. He said on another occasion, one of the company's vehicles hit a telephone pole, which broke and landed in his yard. 'They're regularly hauling these oversized loads,' Diehl said. Allegany County Administrator Jason Bennett said the engineering department will examine the situation and assess damages. The county will explore remediation and enforcement efforts, he said.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commissioners 'not in favor' of proposed solar farm
CUMBERLAND — While county officials don't have the power to stop a proposed solar farm in their own jurisdiction, they plan to voice concerns and encourage area residents to do the same. The issue was discussed at Thursday's Allegany County Board of Commissioners meeting. LaVale resident Gregg Donaldson said installation of 15,000 solar panels are planned for farmland in his neighborhood in the area of Helmstetter's Curve on Cash Valley Road. 'I recently attended an informational meeting by the company who has a signed contract with the current farm owner,' he said. 'There is the potential that only a few residents of Allegany County would benefit.' Donaldson said many other areas of the county would be more suitable for a solar farm. The proposed location on Cash Valley Road would negatively impact 'the iconic farm scene that for years has been enjoyed and photographed by many (people) biking and hiking the Great Allegheny Passage trail or riding the scenic railroad train from Cumberland to Frostburg.' Board of Commissioners President Dave Caporale said the solar farm proposal did not include input from county officials. 'I think everybody is in agreement with you,' he told Donaldson. 'There are a lot of places in our large county that may be more suitable for something like this.' County attorney T. Lee Beeman said state, rather than local, officials control location for such projects. 'Essentially the state takes away our ability to choose — under our own zoning regulations — where we can place solar projects,' he said. However, county officials and impacted residents can offer input about the proposal during the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity process, Beeman said. 'We'll get notice when the developer applies for that CPCN and we'll have the opportunity to submit comments,' he said. 'While we don't have the ability to talk about zoning location, we do have the ability to talk about and provide input on development standards.' Cash Valley Road resident Susan Mallozzi said the project would cause the Helmstetter's Curve area to become an eyesore for tourists who pass through scenic Mountain Maryland. 'We are against the proposed solar farm,' she said. 'We live directly across from the site.' Green fields that could be lost to the project have in past years 'produced rows and rows of corn and the best Timothy hay around,' Mallozzi said. 'We feel our property values will be at great risk,' she said. 'Citizens are at the hands of big companies who search for land to make a profit in the name of green energy with no regard to our land preservation.' Commissioner Bill Atkinson said the GAP is one of the best recreational trails in the country. 'That is one of the most scenic parts of the whole trail,' he said of the area proposed for the solar farm. 'We hear your concerns and we're definitely letting people know that we're not in favor of that in any way, shape or form.'
