Two options, which varied slightly, to realign portions of the LaVale Regional Comprehensive Plan - adopted in May 2008 - were presented Wednesday before the Allegany County Planning and Zoning Commission. Consultant Virginia Smith said either proposal better pairs the area's demographics and water resources to a reasonable plan.

S&S; Planning and Design consultant's plan to realign parts of LaVale comprehensive plan (PDF)

County planning staff's proposal to (PDF)

CUMBERLAND — Dwight Perrin found out being the new guy can be rather lonely.

The Cumberland resident, appointed in April by the Allegany County commissioners as the eighth member of the county Planning and Zoning Commission, was the sole attendee two weeks ago at the Lower Wills Creek comprehensive plan kickoff meeting.

The lack of attendance, and a general desire to more quickly align the county’s regional comprehensive planning areas with its nine watersheds, was the catalyst for two proposals to change the current alignment. Both proposals were made Wednesday during the Planning Commission’s monthly work session and would overlap with portions of the LaVale Region Comprehensive Plan, adopted by the Allegany County Board of Commissioners in May 2008. That plan included all of Ellerslie and Corriganville.

Under one proposal made Wednesday, both areas would be included in an expanded Wills Creek comprehensive planning area.

Phil Hager, county planning coordinator, emphasized that if either of the two proposals are accepted, areas already covered on the LaVale area’s land-use map would simply be transferred to the new regional plan. A copy of both proposals are available online at www.times-news.com.

The Lower Wills Creek planning area currently includes the north end of Cumberland and Bowman’s Addition and stops at a point just south of Corriganville. Because the county does not control planning inside Cumberland’s city limits, there are few residents to which the county can reach out and solicit input. But it’s not for lack of trying.

“We spent a fair amount of money advertising (the kickoff meeting),” Hager said, including paid advertisements on local radio stations, news releases in the Times-News and announcements on the county Web site.

The amount spent was “four or five times more” than what was spent on any other planning area, said Hager, who didn’t immediately have available a dollar figure.

“I don’t know what else we could have done,” he said, “other than knock on people’s doors and hog tie them. I don’t know what more could have been done.”

With far less effort, Hager said 108 people showed up at the kickoff meeting for the LaVale planning area more than two years ago.

County planning staff proposed that Ellerslie — but not Corriganville — be included in a new, broader Wills Creek plan. However, Virginia Smith and Benjamin Sansom, consultants with S&S; Planning and Design LLC, Cumberland, advocated the inclusion of Corriganville.

Smith said the demographics and water resources made easy arguments to include both outlying areas. It would leave Barrelville and Mount Savage in the Jennings Run planning region, an area on which S&S; Planning and Design already has been contracted to work.

Hager said there would be no additional cost to change the boundaries because Smith and Sansom are being paid to complete both areas anyway.

Commission member Ted Robinette agreed with the idea in principle.

“We should clean them up as we go,” he said.

The commissioners could vote to adopt one proposal or the other or keep the existing boundaries.

Property owners in the overlapping LaVale planning area wouldn’t have to start from scratch in effort to secure preferred zoning, Hager said. If they wish no change from the existing LaVale plan, no action would be required. However, it would provide a second chance for public input from those stakeholders should circumstances have changed.

Kevin Spradlin can be reached at kspradlin@times-news.com.