Mill rehabs on the rise in Central Mass.
Restoration projects bring rewards, challenges
New England mills, with their architectural details and historic pasts, may seem like prime locations for small businesses seeking unconventional office space. But because most mills have been abandoned for many years prior to renovation, it often takes a great deal of effort and money to bring these structures back to their original standing, with a few modern amenities.
Erroneous reports of a collapse last month at the Stanley Woolen Mill, under renovation in Uxbridge, underscore one of the downsides to the trend of local developers buying up and restoring old mills in the region for commercial space.
Contrary to reports, Stanley Woolen Mill developer Nicholas Deane, of Deane Redevelopment LLC, says that no collapse actually occurred at his site. He says two firemen reported feeling the mill’s floorboards shake after being called to the site after sprinklers went off. Deane says the tremor may have actually stemmed from a loose brick being knocked out by a ladder against the side of the building.
Nonetheless, work was delayed at the mill while Uxbridge Building and Zoning Inspector Nick Gazerro inspected the structure. He says he also could not pinpoint the cause of the shaking, speculating it could have been caused by inclement weather. Since the incident, work on the mill has slowly resumed with caution.
Despite the mill’s state of repair, Jeff Hollis, the lone tenant there, says the Stanley meets his requirements of low cost, a decent location, and parking on a main road. Located along Route 16 and the Blackstone River, his shop, Eagle Eye Antiques, has been occupying the only livable space in the mill for the past six years. Hollis says he has invested $25,000 towards renovating his shop.
While Deane presses on with restoring Stanley Woolen, several other mill renovation projects are also taking shape in the area. In the Northbridge village of Whitinsville, Alternatives Unlimited Inc., a nonprofit group that supports the development of mentally challenged adults in Central Massachusetts, is renovating the Whitin Mill into a multipurpose complex. The $8.76-million project will include shops, artisan space, a restaurant and function facility, a waterfront plaza, and apartments to house some of Alternatives’ clients, according to Dennis Rice, executive director of Alternatives. When completed, about a year from now, he says it will act as the central focal point for the town of Northbridge.
"This project is showing how to make historic aspects be the building blocks in a community," says Jonathan Austin, of Austin Architects in Cambridge, MA, which designed the complex.
Jim Levin, owner of American Mills Realty, which has renovated and fully leased out three mills in the Worcester area, says that community support is essential in such projects. He says most developers look for rundown mills in nice communities that they can purchase at low cost and spend most of their money on the renovation. He admits it takes some time for the developer to see a return on investment and that mill space isn’t for every business owner. Current tenants in Levin’s Westboro project include Computer Data Circuit, Datachem Software and Meridian Engineering.
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