Published: March 07, 2007 11:50 am      

East Side project decision on hold

CUMBERLAND - Councilman Terry Rephann wasn't aware he'd be asked to endorse the rehabilitation of East Side School until he saw Monday's paper.

Believing that wasn't enough notice for him, or the public, he called on his colleagues to hold off making such a decision.

"I don't think I received adequate public notice and I don't think the public did either," Rephann said during Tuesday's work session at City Hall.

The mayor and fellow councilmen agreed and instead will hold a special meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. in council chambers to vote on endorsing the project.

That support, however, is necessary for the developer to apply for nearly $6 million in funding through the Community Development Association Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program. And it's an application that's due March 21.

City Administrator Jeff Repp said city support for the project would come in two ways.

The developer would receive a 15-year abatement on city property taxes, not to exceed 60 percent and the city would provide $200,000 in public improvements including water, sewer, road and storm water.

Although the abatement is similar to other such agreements, the improvements expenditure is different.

Repp said the feeling is that because it's such a "visible project," the city should include that as part of its endorsement.

Al Borvice of the Housing Development and Neighborhood Preservation Corp. in San Francisco attended Tuesday's meeting and said the company could have demolished the building at 100 Reynolds St. but opted to rehabilitate it.

He explored other uses for the building, including medical offices, but nothing other than apartments worked.

"There's going to be some fantastic units in there," he said, noting 15-foot high ceilings will be one of the features.

The school, which was built in 1921, will be converted into 25 apartments. Another 28 townhomes will be constructed on land adjacent to the school.

Steve Chaney of Chaney Architects said the units will range in size from one to three bedrooms and with square footage from the mid-500s to 1,400.

New construction will involve three different facilities where two-story townhomes will be featured with apartments on the third level.

Borvice said the homes will be for moderate income families. A one-bedroom, 665-square-foot apartment in the school will rent for $530 a month, plus utilities.

A two-bedroom will reach $630 and three bedrooms between $660 and $725.

Cosmetically, evergreens will be planted and a fountain will be installed, both aimed at decreasing the interstate noise.

As for parking, each unit will have one spot.

"It is a signature building coming into Cumberland," Mayor Lee Fiedler said.

He said when he moved to the area in 1991, he wondered every time he drove through town when the city would do something with it.

East Side closed in 1984 and became an eyesore that's visible from westbound Interstate 68.

Once it's renovated, though, it will "shout out to anyone that Cumberland is moving," Fiedler said.

The entire project is estimated to cost $8 million and if the tax credit funding is received, construction could begin in September.

Borvice has said previously that it will take a year to 18 months to complete.

Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. of Baltimore will be the contractor, he said.

"Part of our mission is to use local people," Borvice said. "Local people are the best people to us."

Also next Tuesday, the city plans to hear a presentation on the Klots Mill project, located at the former Tri-State Discount Center on Gay Street. The Landmark Group in Winston-Salem, N.C., has proposed renovating the former silk manufacturing company into apartments. Townhouses also are planned there.

Landmark also has applied for funding through the tax credit program and expects to hear if money will be received this spring.

Renovations and construction are expected to total between $6 million and $8 million.

Maria Smith can be reached at msmith@times-news.com.