Bill would help old mills thrive

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"Instead of treating these buildings like road kill, we want to provide incentives to get people to use them again."

D-Chester, on a bill that would give tax incentives to anyone who would renovate one of the abandoned mills throughout the state

By ROBERT W. DALTON

Staff Writer

COLUMBIA -- The decline of the textile industry has cost thousands of South Carolinians their jobs.

It's also left communities across the state littered with vacant mills. More than 60 sites have been added to the list since 1997.

In the wake of Saturday's devastating Glendale Mill fire, state legislators and state Chamber of Commerce officials on Tuesday pushed a bill aimed at turning the hulking structures into thriving properties again.

"Instead of treating these buildings like road kill, we want to provide incentives to get people to use them again," said Sen. Linda Short, D-Chester.

Under the proposal, anyone who renovates a mill that has been vacant for at least two years could receive a property tax credit equal to 25 percent of the restoration costs.

The municipality or county in which the building is located would determine the eligibility of the site and the project.

The bill also provides for an income tax credit of 25 percent of the renovation costs, subject to approval by the state Department of Commerce.

The credits would not apply until the work is finished.

State Rep. Scott Talley, R-Spartanburg, introduced the bill in the House last week. Short introduced it in the Senate.

Short, who represents a portion of Union County, said there are more than 20 abandoned mills in the counties she serves.

"They are just sitting there getting worse," she said. "When we talk about economic development, we don't look at these old buildings. I'd like to see them reclaimed, reopened and providing new opportunities."

Hunter Howard, president of the state Chamber of Commerce, said the old mills could be converted to a variety of uses. He said government offices, retail shops and single-family dwellings could be housed in them.

"It's an opportunity to blend the past with the future," Howard said. "Otherwise, they're just going to sit there and be a blight on the area and a problem for the community."

Sen. Phil Leventis, D-Sumter, said providing the tax credits could help turn the aging structures into "something exciting" again. He said that, most likely, would include a mix of residential and retail.

"Some of these mills are 300,000, 400,000, 500,000 square feet," Leventis said.

"The time when they're used for a single use may never come again."

Robert W. Dalton can be reached at

562-7274 or bob.Dalton@shj.com.

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