Spartanburg’s Drayton Mill to be Redeveloped By MBD By

Pacolet Milliken Enterprises, Inc. announces initial plans for the redevelopment of the historic Drayton Mill property located minutes from downtown Spartanburg. Pacolet Milliken, the property owner, will act as master developer. Westbridge Partners and TMS Development have reached an agreement to purchase two 111-year-old former mill buildings on the site from Pacolet Milliken and repurpose them into luxury apartment homes, pending approval by the National Park Service.

Westbridge Partners and TMS Development plan to create 288 apartment homes out of the former spinning mill and weaving mill. Located on 10 acres of the site, the two magnificently maintained mill buildings feature exposed heavy timber construction, 16-foot ceilings and maple floors. Construction on Drayton Mills Apartments is expected to begin in the spring of 2014.

Pacolet Milliken plans to remodel buildings on the 230-acre site for use as an event space, restaurant space, a community center and office space. Offices located there will be partially occupied by Pacolet Milliken, as well as by sustainably focused local nonprofits who will receive grants for the office space from Pacolet Milliken.

At its height Drayton Mill served as a major economic engine for the region, being a main employment center and a source of pride for the thriving community. When the textile industry slowed and the bulk of the work went overseas in the 1980s and ‘90s, mills everywhere shuttered and communities suffered.