Woodside Cotton Mill could once again become a hub of activity in West Greenville if redevelopment plans included in an annexation petition come to fruition.
The plans, filed by Woodside Mill Properties LLC from Atlanta, include a planned development that includes 300 apartments in the main mill building, as well as a general store, offices, an event venue, a brewery or restaurant and possibly townhomes or additional multifamily units.
The city’s Design Review Board neighborhood panel is scheduled to hear the request at its meeting Thursday. The Greenville Planning Commission will hear the request, which would change the property from the county’s industrial district designation to the city’s planned development zoning, on Nov. 17.
Woodside Mill was founded in 1902 and was once the largest cotton mill in the world.
The application says the developers have “seen firsthand the revitalization that occurs when large-scale redevelopment of these vacant mills injects new life into the surrounding neighborhoods.” Prior projects were done in Gastonia, N.C. and Knoxville, Tenn. The address listed on the annexation application is listed on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website as Affordable Housing America, Inc., a company headed by Peter H. Wasserman.
“The redevelopment of Woodside Mill will help to revitalize a part of Greenville that has seen commercial investment move to other parts of the city, and will make the Woodside Cotton Mill Historic Village a vibrant center of West Greenville once again,” the application said.
The application said that repurposing the existing buildings on the site would preserve and enhance the character of the historic neighborhood. The design would incorporate roadway improvements, sidewalks, streetscapes and crosswalks to enhance the connectivity of the mill to the surrounding neighborhood.
The 14-acre development is less than 1,000 feet from Long Branch Creek. The City of Greenville’s West Side Comprehensive Plan proposes a trail spur there that would connect with the Swamp Rabbit Trail and the proposed City Park.
The proposed redevelopment of Woodside Mill will “create a new and unique center of activity for the surrounding neighborhood, providing uses that are not only compatible with the surrounding neighborhood, but also providing a new high-density community destination compatible with what the old Woodside Mill once promised,” the application said.
