$60M transformation: City Village master plan to bring jobs, housing, retail (Atlanta: best, location)

[Nick&I102]

I've been curious about this myself. If you have any information please share ��

[Fountain-of-youth]

The historic City Mills property along the Chattahoochee River near downtown Columbus is taking another major step toward revitalization for future apartment, restaurant and entertainment space.

Green Coast Enterprises, based in New Orleans, has signed a letter of intent to work on the project by seeking federal tax credits that will soften the overall costs of rehabilitating the decaying mill structures that date to 1890, with the possibility of new construction.

“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, and it’s thrilling to be in Columbus, because they get it,” said Laurie DeVetger in a release on the project. She and colleagues Lex Kelson and Will Bradshaw have formed the entity, Green Coast Enterprises Georgia, to tackle the work. “(Columbus) put their dollars where their mouths are and invested in a master plan that promotes their values and where they would like to see specific growth.”

City leaders unveiled a “City Village” master plan last year, with City Mills among four districts along the river that could be revived with the help of $60 million in public money from multiple sources. The other districts are Riverfront Campus, Bradley Circle and Johnston Mills.

Green Coast Enterprises, founded in 2007, has worked to develop properties valued at more than $150 million in the New Orleans area. That includes nearly 1,000 housing units and about 30,000 square feet of commercial space.

“We think that they have a better opportunity to make it a more viable project, and our goal all along has been to put the buildings back to re-use,” Columbus attorney and property owner Ken Henson Jr. said Thursday of Green Coast’s decision to join the project.

Henson, operating as City Mills Property LLC, purchased the property nearly two years ago for $800,000. He since has partnered with the Historic Columbus Foundation to continue the efforts to pump life back into the former flour and grist mill that is on the National Register of Historic Places because it is part of the Columbus Historic River Front Industrial District.

The 50-50 partners already spent more than $1 million to stabilize the current City Mills structures that include a six-story flour mill and a five-story warehouse that were built in 1890.

“We put a new roof on it. Parts of it were falling in,” Henson said. “The brick and mortar has been repointed on the outside. It has been stabilized and we spent $1.25 million to do it.”

Green Coast Enterprises Georgia will take the next four months to determine if the federal tax credits will make the project viable. Aside from traditional historic tax credits, the company is expected to seek what is known as New Market Tax Credits.

That federal program aims to provide incentives for development and economic growth by attracting private investment to distressed areas of communities. That includes vacant commercial properties and antiquated manufacturing facilities. The program typically has drawn $8 in private investment for every dollar of federal funding through the credits.

“They’ve basically got a 120-day window to help secure the New Market Tax Credits and the historic tax credits, and if both of those get a thumbs-up from the federal reviewers, then it’s their intent to purchase the property from Ken Henson and our organization,” said Justin Krieg, director of planning and programs at the Historic Columbus Foundation.

Krieg said his organization is handling the application for the historic tax credits, while Green Coast brings their expertise to the new market credits. Plans have already been drawn up by 2WR Architects for the project and quite a bit of engineering work has been done, he said.

“The thought would be that the project would start and be completed within probably a 24-month period,” said Krieg, acknowledging this is a pivotal moment for City Mills and the foundation.

“This building by far is the largest single capital investment that our organization has made in its 51 years of existence,” he said.

Read more here: Efforts to revive historic City Mills along the river at pivotal moment | Columbus Ledger-Enquirer


Downtown is booming people!

[DWColumbus]

Originally Posted by Fountain-of-youth

Downtown is booming people!

It sure is! It's not the same dowtown it was 20 years ago and it won't be the same downtown 20 years from now.

[Fountain-of-youth]

Originally Posted by DWColumbus

It sure is! It's not the same dowtown it was 20 years ago and it won't be the same downtown 20 years from now.

I agree. This project will give downtown back its big feel.

[AUGnative]

Very impressive. Columbus is lucky that its riverfront is not walled off by a levee from the rest of the city. This is exactly the type of development Augusta's riverfront showuld have but uness something is done to remove or lower portions of the levee I just do not see it happening

[Columbus1984]

Columbus continues to set the bar. So many impressive projects all starting at once.

[Fountain-of-youth]

I see this project starting sometime late this year or early next year.

[Fountain-of-youth]

[Fountain-of-youth]

This project was approved for rezoning by the planning advisory committee on 3/7/18! We should see dirt moving very soon!

[Fountain-of-youth]

City Mills looking to bring brewery to downtown Columbus | Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Finally!


With the two historic 1890 riverfront grist mill buildings now stabilized and ready for revitalization, the owners of City Mills are now moving forward with a redevelopment plan – and the primary target is attract a brewery and restaurant to the site.

The property is jointly owned by Columbus attorney Ken Henson Jr. and the Historic Columbus Foundation, a non-profit organization that has been at the forefront of the city’s preservation efforts for more than 50 years.

“We have probably had six or seven representatives from various breweries — most have been from the state of Georgia, but a few have been from the Carolinas,” said Justin Krieg, director of planning and programs for the foundation. “We have had some serious interest, and frankly, we needed to get the buildings to the point where they are today, where you can walk through them safely and showcase the space we have got.”

He declined to name the specific breweries that have looked at the site, but did say some were out of Atlanta and the Asheville, N.C., area. A letter of intent with one of the breweries could be signed in the coming weeks, Krieg said.


The location, just north of the TSYS campus, and its unique space are drawing attention, Krieg said.

The bottom floor of the building closest to the riverbank is drawing the most intense interest from potential craft beer breweries, Krieg said. The building is attached to an outdoor pavilion, which once restored will provide prime dining and entertaining space overlooking the Chattahoochee River and the urban white-water rapids course. The City Mills site is about halfway on the 2.5-mile run from Bibb City into downtown Columbus.

“The most dynamic thing we have is when we walk people in that river building ... and walk them out on the pavilion that looks over the river, both upstream and downstream, it blows people away,” Krieg said. “You can immediately see the potential.”

The hursting frames and milling stones are still in place in the riverfront building. The abutments to the dam that was breached six years ago to make way for the white-water course are also visible.

“When you stand out there, you can understand how all this functioned and how it served as an economic driver for our city back in the early 1800s,” Krieg said. “That’s carried through to today. We are, obviously, seeing a different investment for a different reason, but still bringing economic development to our city.”

Another potential plus is the connection of the Chattahoochee Riverwalk through the City Mills property. Construction on the $1.2 million city project began earlier this month. The riverwalk will split the existing historic structures, creating a path and small plaza area between the buildings.

For more than 15 years the path that runs from near the Lake Oliver marina to Fort Benning has been disconnected at Bibb Mill and City Mills. Federal transportation and local funds are being used to complete the path at those two spots.

“It will be a great place for people to hang out, take a rest off their bike or after their run,” Krieg said of the City Mills connector, which is being done by Southeastern Site Development Inc., of Newnan, Ga.

There is 40,000 square feet of potential restaurant, retail, office and residential space in the two brick buildings on either side of the riverwalk.

“We worked for close to six months with the city Pam Hodge, Rick Jones and all of those involved in the planning and zoning department to craft a plan to run between the buildings,” Kreig said.

The work on the riverwalk should be completed in about three or four months, city officials said. After that is done, the City Mills owners would like to begin construction on the buildings. The goal is to have tenants and be operational by the end of 2020, Krieg said.

“We view the riverwalk as a huge drive, for not only retail and commercial traffic, but also a big selling point for the building,” Krieg said.

City Mills is one of five mill sites included in the Columbus Industrial Riverfront National Landmark District, according to the Historic Columbus Foundation. The property is the last remaining endangered site of the five mills, and it is nationally significant for its hydropower development, milling machinery development and architecture.

City Mills Property LLC, whose registered agent is Henson, purchased the old City Mills property on 18th Street, in May 2015 after it had been under control of the Bowers family for almost a half century. During that time, it had fallen into acute disrepair.

Shortly after Henson acquired the property, the Historic Columbus Foundation joined forces with City Mills Property LLC to save the riverfront structures. The foundation committed $1.2 million to stabilize City Mills. That effort, the largest single investment in the foundation’s 50-year history, has led to the stabilization of the buildings.

Almost a year ago, Green Coast Enterprises, based in New Orleans, signed a letter of intent to work on the project by seeking federal tax credits that will soften the overall costs of rehabilitating the decaying mill structures that date to 1890, with the possibility of new construction.

Green Coast officials are in Columbus this week. The historical and new market tax credits that are seeking to make the project financially feasible are still in the process of being secured.

“With unique buildings like these, you have got to have a creative program to make it work,” Krieg said. “It is everything from coffee shop, bike shop, cafe to residential and high-end commercial office space on the upper floors.”