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$100 Million Redevelopment Project Breathes New Life Into Revolution Mill

Julie Knight - Triad Business Journal
More than 100 years ago, the massive complex of brick buildings and smokestacks off of Yanceyville Street in Greensboro helped revolutionize the textile industry in the South and secured the city’s position as a major employer in the industry for decades. It closed more than three decades ago, but a new redevelopment project is breathing new life into the complex.

A major renovation of a historic property in Greensboro is moving full speed ahead.

The old Revolution Mill closed in the early 1980's. The former flannel mill once employed hundreds of people, and was a key player in the city's manufacturing economy. Now a new owner, Self-Help Ventures Fund, recently closed on a $100-million finance package to redevelop the complex.

The Triad Business Journal's Kristin Zachary has been following this story. For this week's Business Report, she talks with WFDD's Keri Brown about what we can expect to see in the Revolution Mill.

“Once it's completed, Revolution Mill will house more than 140 apartments, office space, two restaurants and 40 artists' studios.  We could see 1,500 people living, working and creating on the campus,” says Zachary.

Zachary says Self-Help Ventures Fund plans to capitalize on the city's arts culture, pairing it with the city's manufacturing history to create a live/work/play campus in the multi-million dollar redevelopment project.

She adds the developer is preserving the building's historic brick architecture from the late 1890's, while adding some innovative design concepts to the project.

The time line for the project is expected to wrap up quicker than originally planned. “Since Self-Help recently closed on a financing package, it allows for an accelerated construction schedule that looks for completion by the third quarter of next year,” says Zachary.

The Business Report on 88.5 WFDD is a partnership with the Triad Business Journal.

*Follow Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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