Developers Penn Hodge and Grant Schmeelk, with a combined experience in development of over 35 years, purchased the property at 141 Railroad Street, formerly the Canton Textile Mill. Once a denim factory, it will feature a brewery, several restaurants, a 50,000-square-foot retail space, a massive outdoor artificial grass activity area, possibly a covered pavilion space, and a co-working office space.The co-working space will be called Thrive. There are Thrive spaces located in Milton and Alpharetta. You can learn more at WorkAtThrive.com. A co-working space has a membership fee and allows a person to work comfortably away from home and have a place to meet one person or a group. It also has dedicated office space, providing a place to stop in between appointments. Most have a snack bar and WiFi.
At the time this was written, there were five restaurants planning to make The Mill on Etowah their home. But the developers weren’t ready to release the names of the restaurants. However, here is a list of the types of cuisine you can expect to enjoy: pizza, barbeque, American, and a gastro pub.
The church that currently meets in The Mill will remain, but they will move from the ground floor to the second floor. Their new space will be approximately ten to twelve thousand square feet.
Reformation Brewery will move its main production and storage facility to a 30,000-square-foot space at The Mill on Etowah.
Hodge and Schmeelk were enthusiastic about the emphasis of honoring the history of the Mill and its place in Canton. The development will be in “districts.” As visitors move through the venue, they will experience Canton’s local culture and history through themes of the railroad, the river, and green space. Hodge has a personal interest in horticulture and landscaping and is excited about the gardens he has planned at The Mill development. His palette will be a European garden with a mixture of native plantings.
Hodge and Schmeelk plan to deliver river access with a river walk connecting with the Canton trail systems including a canoe/kayak put in/take out. And it has been said that a couple of the restaurants will have outdoor decks with river views.
You may also be pleased to learn that there will be outdoor public art, which may include low sculptures suitable for children to climb and sit on.
The Mill is one of several exciting projects happening in Canton today. Revitalization of the Jones building and the school board property is also underway. While completion times for the other projects have not been released, Schmeelk stated that The Mill should be ready to enjoy by next summer.
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