Judson Mill District partners, community members and special guests gathered in the Hayne Hipp Community Room at Feed & Seed last week to celebrate the first phase of the revitalization of Judson Mill’s 36-acre site into a sustainable and vibrant mixed-use campus. The Judson Mill District aims to provide affordable places to live, work, and play while creating connectivity for the surrounding neighborhood. Five years in the making, the Judson Mill District is now home to offices, co-working space, retail, entertainment, and residential spaces and will soon boast a restaurant and brewery. Co-developers Tom Taft, chairman and CEO of Taft Family Ventures, and Ken Reiter, president of Belmont Sayre, reflected on progress made on campus and shared details of what’s to come. Afterward, attendees toured the campus to explore the businesses that have opened and others that are under construction. Belmont Sayre of Chapel Hill, N.C., purchased Judson Mill in 2017. Later joined by Taft Family Ventures of Greenville, N.C., the owners have executed on a vision to transform the historic 800,000 square-foot campus into a sustainable mixed-use community. “There’s more than 100 years of history here,” Reiter said. “Our goal has always been to find a modern version of this mill that preserves the spirit and features of the mill while knitting the neighborhood back together.” The Judson Mill District is now home to tenants such as the Judson Mill Lofts, BlocHaven, Feed & Seed, Cowboy Up Music Venue, and the Jud Hub Social Innovation Center. Future additions to the historic campus include Stumpy’s Hatchet House, HRP, Magnetic South Brewery, River Falls Spa, SeamonWhiteside, High Spirits Hospitality, a restaurant, and athletic courts. |