The area of Aiken County along Highway 421/Augusta Road may be in store for changes, including new life for a long-closed textile mill in Warrenville.
Records on the Aiken County webpage show Warren Mill, at 1124 Augusta Road, was sold for $1.6 million to Warren Mill Invesco, Inc. According to the South Carolina Secretary of State’s Office, Capitol Corporate Services, Inc. is the registered agent. It was purchased from Warren Mill, LLC, whose registered agent is Reginal Barner, former CEO of the Aiken Housing Authority.
The sale was posted Sept. 15.
A developer appeared before council in March and presented a plan showing the over 190,000-square foot mill would be converted to an apartment complex with upwards of 200 units.
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Council approved a resolution granting a tax break for the project. The resolution read, in part:
“During the first 10 years of the special assessment period, the taxable value of the property will be frozen at the purchase price of $1.6 million and during years 11-20 of the special assessment period, the taxable value will double to $3.2 million.”
County Administrator Clay Killian said they hope this is just the beginning of revitalization in the area.
“We are hopeful that it will be a catalyst for additional investment and redevelopment in the area,” he said. “It is good to see some new investment in the Highway 421 area.”
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Hanna Rearden owns three businesses in a building directly across the street from the mill.
“It’s going to bring people to this area more, and I think it’s going to be a positive impact to the community because it’s going to dress it up a little bit more,” she said. “It’s going to make it look better is the biggest thing. You know, a facelift.”
Warren Mill began producing textiles at the turn of the 20th century. It was closed for good in the early 1980s. It is listed on the National Historic Register.
Growth is also happening in Graniteville, including the recent opening of a new manufacturing business.
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A grand opening celebration was held Oct. 26 for Central States Manufacturing, Inc. The company, which makes metal building products, is a $13 million investment creating 70 new jobs.
“Central States is excited to continue our growth in South Carolina,” said Chief Operations Officer Tim Ruger. “As we expand to service our customers better, we are always looking for communities in which we can contribute and partner. We believe we have found this in the Aiken County community and are excited to welcome employee owners from South Carolina.”
Elsewhere in Graniteville, a historic building is waiting for its next chapter.
The former Leavelle-McCampbell Middle School sits empty in downtown Graniteville, replaced by a new school on Bettis Academy Road in 2017. The Aiken County School District put the old school up for sale in 2018.
The property has two main structures with a total of 85,166-square feet of space. The site on Canal Street has 8.28 acres.
When asked about the status of the sale, district spokeswoman Stephanie Behrendt responded, “We cannot discuss any current contractual matters.”
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The future of another historic building is still progressing.
The contract for the sale of the old Aiken hospital was originally signed April 26 between the county and 828 Richland Avenue Associates, LLC. However, work has not yet started on disassembling a South Carolina Educational Television antenna that sits on the property.
The developer requested, and was granted, a 90-day extension to finalize the purchase for $1.15 million.
“I think they remain very interested in saving and redeveloping the building,” said Killian. “It certainly is the gateway from the west into downtown Aiken and this redevelopment should be a very pleasant site when completed.”
This is the third attempt to sell the old hospital that was built before World War II. Two previous attempts fell through; one when a financing deadline was missed, and the other because of the timeframe needed to remove the SCETV tower.
After ceasing hospital operations in the mid-70s, the building’s second chapter was as headquarters for the Aiken County government until offices moved to the new county office building on University Parkway about seven years ago.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
