Easley Revitalization Through its Mills
In one of my recent posts, I talked about how Piedmont Invests in the Promise of New Growth would take an abandoned textile mill property and turn it into a new development. It now appears that Easley SC has the same agenda.
Easley has two mill projects that have been approved and are on their way to a new start. Easley’s City Council approved the final portion of incentives for developer Kingside Properties. In exchange for a $20 million investment, they will turn the old Woodside Mill into 128 apartments.
A bit of history; the mill was built between 1899 and 1901 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It finally closed about 1991.
This revitalization will turn an abandoned mill into high-end apartments with stainless-steel appliances and granite counters as a start. The apartments will use the main structure and include as much of the original building materials as possible. An outbuilding will be converted to a community center and another into the leasing center. The old mill office will be renovated later into a possible commercial use building.
Another mill project will be aimed at the former grain storage building a few blocks down. It will be renovated to house a half dozen businesses.
Bonus point is that both developments will be connected by spurs to the Doodle Trail. The Doodle Trail has paved paths and split rail fencing that replaced the Doodle train that ran a seven-mile stretch between Pickens and Easley beginning around 1898. A private portion on the apartment property will also tie the two mill developments together.
This project at the Woodside Mill may not be the most expensive or the biggest redevelopment project in Easley but it is an example of the city looking forward while still preserving the past that got their name on the map. It is a way to bring new life into other parts of the city that may feel forgotten.
It will be interesting to follow this mill project along with the Piedmont project to see how they turn out and if the hope of bringing new life into forgotten areas comes true.
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