Growth area

The Willowbrook Road-Williams Road area’s growth spurt, touched off by the new Western Maryland Health System hospital, is expanding yet again via a new access road to Allegany College of Maryland.

The new road not only will improve access to the college, it will directly serve the proposed Evitts Landing complex, a residential development and office space project that may be built behind ACM.

U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin announced last week that $737,620 will be coming from the Appalachian Regional Commission to help the city of Cumberland build the access road as well as a new intersection and road improvements to the Old Willowbrook Road. Another $500,000 will be coming from the state of Maryland. Jeff Repp, Cumberland’s city administrator, said the project is now under review by the State Highway Administration and once that agency issues access permits, the city will put the project out to bid.

Although the Evitts Landing complex is still in the planning stages, it has received new life via the WODA Group of Westerville, Ohio. In April of 2006, The Bell Group in Crofton proposed its plans for Evitts Landing, but the project has since been stalled. WODA has now taken over and is planning to develop a 64-unit housing project similar to The Cascades on Fourth Street. The homes will be for senior and income-restricted housing. Additional acreage will remain for other development later, Repp said.

Besides the housing complex and the new hospital, a new office building is being built on Williams Road by Allaway and Parousis, local physicians who will move their urology practice from the Braddock Campus medical building. Also under construction is a new office on Messick Road for the Allegany County Teachers Credit Union.