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Allegany County approves development agreement with D.R. Horton for 65-home subdivision; plans to bid site work
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved a development agreement with D.R. Horton for a 65-home community, authorized the county to solicit bids for horizontal site work, and confirmed the city will assume the infrastructure after construction.
Allegany County commissioners on the evening’s agenda approved a development agreement with D.R. Horton that sets county-led horizontal site work for a proposed 65-home subdivision and authorized staff to publish a solicitation for bids on the site work.
The agreement calls for the county to construct horizontal infrastructure — utilities, roads and other neighborhood improvements — after which D.R. Horton will build the homes. Adam Stott, a county staff member who presented the item, said the arrangement will produce “significant cost savings to the homeowner” because the county will convey the prepared land to the developer.
“This was a very complex deal to be able to cover all the different nuances that’s involved,” Stott said, describing follow-up work from an earlier work session and consultations with county counsel and D.R. Horton’s counsel.
Griffin Burns, director of land for D.R. Horton’s capital division, told commissioners the company is “excited to be here in Allegany County” and anticipates a groundbreaking later in the year.
Commissioners also approved a motion to put the horizontal site-work contract out to bid. County staff said a bid book prepared by Eads Architects will be released for roughly a five-week bid period once final documents are complete. The county noted the city has approved the planning and zoning and will assume responsibility for the infrastructure after construction.
The commission voted to approve the development agreement and the solicitation for site work by voice vote. Commissioners Caparelli and Atkinson moved the respective approvals and the board voiced its assent; no roll-call tally beyond the recorded “Aye” was provided at the meeting.
County officials asked for public feedback during earlier sessions and said changes were made to the developer’s original proposal to address citizens’ and staff concerns. No amendments to the agreement were described during the action taken at the meeting.
The project was described by county staff as the largest residential development in the county in several years and will proceed to formal bidding on the horizontal infrastructure before site construction by D.R. Horton.
