Yet another massive Rock Hill business, jobs site readies to welcome its first tenant
Rock Hill has had its share of transformative business developments of late. Another is set to begin.
Construction should start this month on an almost 65,000-square-foot manufacturing site in Aspen Business Park. A sign manufacturer set to locate there will be the first tenant at Aspen, a years-long vision of city economic development partners for land near the Rock Hill-York County Airport.
Plans for Aspen, between Celanese Road and Heckle Boulevard, could bring up to 2,000 jobs on hundreds of acres set for industrial development. Aspen comes through public and private partnership.
“Project Recon is the first prospective tenant at Aspen Business Park,” city economic and urban development director Jennifer Wilford told city council on Monday night.
Council then approved an incentive for the project, just ahead of construction.
The city will reimburse more than $65,000 in building, water and impact fees. As of Monday night the city didn’t name the planned tenant. The project promises a $6.5 million investment and 73 jobs. Crafter, welder and designer positions will have average salaries above $57,000.
Wilford said the 73 jobs will include both relocations and new positions.
“It’s a little bit of both,” she said. “And there is room for expansion at this facility as well.”
Aspen is the latest in a series of economic projects set to reshape Rock Hill.
Downtown revitalization has former mill, distribution and warehouse sites turning into half a billion dollars or more of event sites, hotels, restaurants, commercial and residential spaces. Former farmland is now under construction for the new Carolina Panthers headquarters.
As it develops, Aspen projects to add significant employment and tax bases for the city. A point that wasn’t lost on council as the group cast a vote on the first potential tenant.
“It’s a big deal,” said Mayor John Gettys.
Foundations for future development
New construction at Aspen wasn’t the only big deal Monday night. Other council decisions lay path for major redevelopment efforts throughout the city. They include:
▪ Council gave initial approval to a property sale on Northpark Drive in TechPark. The city would sell less than two acres there, if finalized.
“This agreement is with Silver Linings Investments who is proposing a spec flex office warehouse space,” Wilford said.
▪ The city approved $450,000 in fee reimbursements as an economic incentive for The Thread. Redevelopment of the former Springs Creative distribution site on West White Street includes a 400,000-square-foot building. The $100 million planned investment will bring 1,200-1,800 employees to the site.
“The planned future uses include office, retail, restaurant and event space,” Wilford said.
▪ Two known business sites were given initial approval for certifications that could promote or aid redevelopment. One is the former Coca-Cola building at 520 Cherry Road.
The city decision to certify an abandoned building there under the South Carolina Abandoned Building Revitalization Act will qualify it for various incentives.
“This is much like other ordinances you’ve passed,” city attorney Paul Dillingham told council. “It’ll help spur development and potentially qualify this site for some tax credits.”
Ground is already broken there.
The Warren Norman Company will put restaurant, retail and office space known as The Perch at the more than 5,000-square-foot former bottling plant and a new 22,000-square-foot two-story building.
The other certification involves the Bleachery site downtown. It was certified as a former textile mill site in 2016 under the South Carolina Textiles Communities Revitalization Act. There have been amendments and recertifications since as redevelopment continues in that area.
▪ Council finalized a recertification of the former Randolph Yarns Mill site as a former mill, and the sale of a TechPark property to ITS Properties. The mill site move is similar to the other ones, in creating potential tax incentive for ongoing redevelopment. The ITS sale involves four acres on Anderson Road sold at more than $230,000. Plans there involve an 80,000-square-foot construction.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 11:39 AM.
