Rocky Mount Mills

By Corey Davis

Local companies and more living options are part of the continued growth of the 150acre mixed-use development on the Tar River known as the Rocky Mount Mills.

Local companies and more living options are part of the continued growth of the 150acre mixed-use development on the Tar River known as the Rocky Mount Mills.

The first corporate tenant that signed a long-term lease in the Rocky Mount Mills is slated to become operational in its new space this summer. Envolve Vision, an integrated health care solutions company, formerly called OptiCare Managed Vision, is scheduled to be up and running in its more than 23,000-square-foot space on the upper floor in the Main Mill building by Aug. 27, said Dennis Crossen, manager of transportation and facilities at Envolve Vision.

Crossen added Envolve will have 126 full-time staff relocating from its three offices on 112 Zebulon Court. The multiple departments going to the Mills will include the claims operations, contact center, account services, network managment, utilization management and information technology resources.

Envolve Vision CEO David Lavely said the space will assist the company in workforce recruiting. The company’s modern space will include original wood floors, high ceilings, exposed brick walls, large windows, large glass conference rooms, wifi and a contemporary break room for employees. The space will oversee the scenic view overlooking to the Tar River.

“Envolve Vision was founded more than 30 years ago in Rocky Mount, and we are delighted to be able to relocate and remain in our hometown,” Lavely said. “This will be a world class environment that will enhance our service to our customers.”

Envolve Vision earlier this year opened Envolve Optical, a stand-alone optical retail store in a 1,320-square-foot remodeled Mill home. Envolve Optical is located across the street from the Mills’ campus. Michael Forrester, senior director of account services for Envolve Vision, said the space has two employees that includes a full-time optician, Karen Hobbs.

Forrester said the retail establishment has the largest selection of frames customers can find in the area. Envolve Optical is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Joining Envolve Vision in the Rocky Mount Mills will be the area’s longtime daily newspaper that began publication in October 1910. The Rocky Mount Telegram will relocate its editorial and business staff to the 150-acre mixed-use campus on the Tar River.

The Telegram is expected to move into the Mills this fall and will occupy 5,500 square feet of space in the main mill building currently being completely remodeled.

“As newsmakers in the community, we’re excited to welcome Rocky Mount’s local newspaper to campus,” said Evan Covington Chavez, real estate development manager for Rocky Mount Mills and Capitol Broadcasting Co. “The Telegram is a fantastic organization that has played a pivotal role in this community for 118 years. They’ve seen and reported on Rocky Mount Mills and now they get to be a part of its rebuilding.”

The Telegram has been located at 1000 Hunter Hill in Rocky Mount since 2008. The 18,600-square-foot building was once a former YMCA building. Before coming to Hunter Hill Road, the Telegram spent 10 years on Tiffany Boulevard in Tiffany Square.

“We’re looking forward to moving into our new space at Rocky Mount Mills later this year,” said John K. Cooke Jr., president of Cooke Communications North Carolina, which has owned the Telegram since August

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2009. “It’s a beautiful building in a vibrant campus that our employees and customers will enjoy.”

Kyle Stephens, who became the Telegram’s publisher in February, said the newspaper’s new location couldn’t be in a better spot.

“It’s in a perfect location for us,” he said, “close to downtown and right off (U.S.) 64.”

Sara Felsen, project manager of BELK Architecture, said the Telegram suite will feature a glass storefront and shared corridor, large industrial windows overlooking the river above the dam and a customer waiting area with coffee bar. The Telegram suite will be located in the corner of the building on the second floor.

“With shared outdoor spaces, conference rooms and atriums, the commerical tenants will have daily opportunities to interact throughout the building,” Felsen said. “This campus environment is very different from the Telegram’s current stand-alone building. There are a number of recreation and entertainment opportunities on campus. Also, the Telegram suite has been designed to maximize an open environment allowing the views and existing finishes to be the main attraction.”

In addition to Envolve Vision and the Rocky Mount Telegram, Nash County Travel & Tourism also has announced plans to go into a location on the Mills campus in late 2018. The agency will occupy an 1,800-square-foot historic home at 1104 Falls Road, just across the street from the main entrance to the Mills campus.

The Rocky Mills will also provide some more living options for people looking to stay in Rocky Mount. Tim Rogers, residential leasing specialist of the Rocky Mount Mills, said Capitol Broadcasting Co. is currently in the first stage of constructing 49 luxury loft apartments that are scheduled for occupancy at the end of September or beginning of October. Rogers said there will be another 20 apartments that will open in February.

The loft apartments that are described as a blend of historic and urban living will be studio up to three bedrooms. Rogers said the lofts will consist of hardwood floors and the latest stainless steel appilances ranging from $950 to $2,400.

“They will be very unique with various floor plans with view of Tar River and view of Panther Island,” Rogers said. “This will be the first time in Rocky Mount market where studio apartments will be up for rent that will combine living room, bedroom and kitchen into a single room.”

Rogers said Capitol Broadcasting recently finished the last two renovations of a total of 50 homes at the Mill Village. The homes were part of the first projects done by Capitol Broadcasting that started in 2014 and located across from the Rocky Mount Mills and along the Tar River.

The one to three bedroom homes are equipped with spacious decks, patios outside, high ceilings and architectural details inside. All homes come with charcoal grills, fenced-in backyards as well as their own unique backyard game such as bocce, cornhole and horeshoes. The interiors equipped with hardwood floors, tile bathrooms, granite countertops, washer and dryers, security systems and a kegerator to keep beer on tap and chilled in homes.

According to the Mills’ website, unique lodging accomodations are coming to the Mills later this year as the campus’ River and Twine will consist of 20 boutique or small homes that will be available for nightly rental.

1) Tiny houses sit on the campus of the Rocky Mount Mills Friday. 2) Rocky Mount Telegram publisher Kyle Stephens, left, and Rocky Mount Mills General Manager Scott Roberts look out a window of the new office space for the Rocky Mount Telegram at the Rocky Mount Mills.

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