Council approves rezoning for historic mill conversion to mixed-use with employee housing provisions
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Summary
On second reading the council rezoned about 15.9 acres in Ward 2 to Mixed-Use (MXU) to enable conversion of a historic mill into 225 apartments and roughly 25,000 sq ft of retail; the plan includes parking, street realignments and reserved discounted units for town and school district employees.
The council voted to approve second reading of an ordinance amending the town zoning map to change roughly 15.9 acres in Ward 2 from general industrial and R-10 to MXU (Mixed-Use Development), enabling a redevelopment of a historic mill into mixed-use space, council members said.
An unnamed project representative, speaking in the meeting as Jerry and referencing the Nassari family, said the mill has portions about 130 years old and is on the National Register of Historic Places. He described plans to convert the structure into 225 apartments and about 25,000 square feet of retail, add a second-level public parking area, realign Watson and Link streets to improve circulation, and add diagonal parking. The plan also includes an employee housing subsidy that will reserve a percentage of apartments at discounted rates for town and school district employees; wait-listing rules were described so employees could be placed at priority positions if units become available.
Chris Pettit, town staff, told council that two edits were made since first reading: correction of a typographical error and insertion of prohibited uses (tattoo parlors and payday lending establishments) to align the MXU district’s allowed uses with other zoning districts. The project will undergo review by the town’s planning commission, the Historic Resources Board (for the historic elements), and state reviewers; the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the National Park Service (NPS) will also review the new construction as part of preservation oversight, Jerry said.
An unidentified councilmember moved to approve the ordinance and another councilmember seconded; the council approved the item by voice vote. No detailed vote tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.
The council did not provide a construction start date at the meeting but staff said design-development drawings are expected by Dec. 1, with construction documents to follow in January for permit review.