New life for an old North Carolina mill property
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Photo: Courtesy of WBTV
The city of Salisbury wants to transform the site of Kesler Mill, a textile mill that dates to the late 1800s, into much-needed housing for hundreds of residents.
Why it matters: Mills like Kesler are reminders of North Carolina's 20th century economy, when textile manufacturing was a dominant industry. Many, like Optimist Hall in Charlotte and Revolution Mill in Greensboro, are getting new life as food halls, apartments and offices.
Zoom out: The years-long Kesler redevelopment project aims to breathe new life into a sprawling former manufacturing campus that's sat mostly empty for decades in a prominent part of town.
Flashback: The hometown of Cheerwine and Food Lion, Salisbury is situated about midway between Charlotte and Greensboro. The Kesler Mill, operational from 1895-2003, was once a major employer in the region.
- An estimated 4,000 jobs were lost when textile giant and business owner Pillowtex went bankrupt and closed the mill two decades ago, WBTV reported.
- The city bought the 12-acre site in 2019. Last year, it completed remediation work on the brownfield site.
What's happening: Development Finance Initiatives (DFI), a service offered by the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government, has been soliciting feedback from the community on what they'd like to see on the site.
- Top priorities from the community include mixed-income housing and improved neighborhood connectivity via sidewalks, trails and road access.
- Commercial development on the site is challenging due to its location deep in the Park Avenue neighborhood, according to project organizers.
- Development likely will be completed in several phases.
Between the lines: The mill's original buildings no longer remain on the property, according to Hannah Jacobson, planning director for the city of Salisbury.
- "We would hope that the developer's proposals pay homage to the history of the site," Jacobson said.
- The development concepts the city has explored include a mix of senior apartments, townhomes, duplexes and single-family homes, per Jacobson.
The big picture: This wouldn't be the first time Salisbury has found creative ways to expand affordable housing options. Last year, work began on a project that'll add affordable housing for seniors at a former Ford car dealership, WBTV reported.
What's next: This spring, DFI will present its findings from the community input sessions to Salisbury's city council. Once council endorses a preferred development plan, DFI will work with the city to market the project to the private sector for proposals, DFI said in a statement to Axios.
- Construction could start by late 2026 or early 2027, per a DFI presentation.