Active adult community to become Winthrop's new neighbor

By: Adam MacInnis

Posted: 4/4/07

An active adult community will replace a delapidated mill next to Winthrop.

ELA Corporation the company that built University Place apartments, has announced that they will be developing the 24 acres it owns between campus and downtown by putting in an active adult community to draw people older than 55 to spend their retirement years.

The new community will have mid-rise units, lofts, brownstones and flats totaling 612 units in a public development that also will feature public greenways, courtyards, an outdoor performance park, restaurants, retail and offices, according to a March 13 Winthrop press release.

Because many people want to live more active lives when they retire now, having a university and downtown in easy access makes the site ideal ELA officials have said.

Erica Smith, ELA marketing director said that the new community will be university centered and she believes an asset to the institution.

"We're going to have a lot of retail stores and restaurants, both paper napkin and linen so it will be great for the university as well," she said.

The development will help improve the look around campus, Smith said.

"Right now the Bleachery side is deteriorating," she said. "It's unsightly. It's kind of blocking the downtown area. When we develop this area it's going to be a link to downtown, especially from the university."

The area, known as "The Bleachery" was once a textile printing and finishing mill. After the mill closed the place has become dilapidated. For city officials who have been seeking to revive the downtown area the announcement of ELA's plans is a welcomed event.

"What ELA is proposing is pretty much meets with the spirit, intent and vision of our textile corridor master plan that we did back in 2003," said David Warner, Rock Hill downtown development manager. "That plan was the vision for redevelopment in the area and we feel that Lynn Stephenson, [ELA President] and her team have put together what seems to be a credible proposal."

The city will be responsible to help develop the infrastructure to be able to handle the new community.

The goal for the textile corridor is to create a unique pedestrian friendly urban village downtown with the campus, Warner said.

There is no financial cost to Winthrop from the active adult community said Rebecca Masters, university spokeswoman.

"Winthrop's involvement in this project is most accurately termed as 'catalyst,'" she said. "It is Winthrop's presence that makes this concept attractive to the private sector investors who will provide all land and private investment dollars to the project, while the City of Rock Hill makes the investment in utilities and infrastructure. Students will have access to all the benefits that eventually will accrue, without having paid any of the costs of the development."

Although some students have expressed concerns about what benefits the new active adults' center will have for them, Masters said that there are numerous potential advantages to having an active adult community as part of the residential development next to campus.

"Think of each business that locates there as a potential employer for students looking for part-time jobs or internships," Masters said.

It should be a draw to other businesses she said.

"The more activity there is around the campus, the more attractive Winthrop becomes," Masters said.