Mill Village Economics
a vision of
Revitalization Written By Corey Davis Photography by Adam Jennings
It’s no secret the excitement surrounding Capitol Broadcasting Co.’s redevelopment project of the Rocky Mount Mills derives from the success and economic impact of the American Tobacco Campus within Durham. “Like the American Tobacco in Durham, the Rocky Mount Mills is being revitalized with the vision and cooperation of so many leaders in both the public and private sector,” said Capitol Broadcasting Co. Development Manager Evan Covington Chavez. “There are challenges both similar and unique to each project, but creative, innovative thinking is being applied to both to create a success.” The mixed-use project of American Tobacco is a poster child for urban redevelopment, with office space, entrepreneur space, retail, restaurants and entertainment and educational venues. Just like the old Rocky Mills, 8
Carolina Brew Scene
a former cotton mill, which initially closed in 1996, American Tobacco’s mill fell into a state of despair. American Tobacco sat vacant in downtown Durham as the factory declined into a center of decay in the 20 years following its 1987 closing. However, with Capitol Broadcasting Co. coming to take over and reopening the American Tobacco Campus in 2004, it has been referred to nationally as the definitive example of re-purposing and re-developing historic properties. The district has been dubbed the Durham Renaissance of downtown. Since the resurrection, North Carolina’s largest historic renovation project has expanded to 200,000 square feet of parking space and 800,000 square feet of office, residential and entertainment facilities. On any given summer night, residents can be seen catching a baseball game at the Durham Summer 2016
Bulls’ stadium, attending a concert on the ”island” beneath the Lucky Strike water tower or watching a showing at the $48 million Durham Performing Arts Center, ranked among the top theaters in the country. Matt Honeycutt, real estate development manager for Capitol Broadcasting Co., said one of the major economic developments of the restoration project has been the influx of jobs. The hope for the continuing redevelopement of Rocky Mount Mills is to bring much-needed jobs to a city lacking employment opportunites and help spur economic development throughout the Eastern North Carolina region. “We have 4,000 employees at American Tobacco everyday, which means people going to eat lunch down there, eating dinner, getting a drink, needing a place to stay from time to
