Run Through ?The Mill,? Sharp Tackles Project

Since construction began in June 2001, the $3.5 million Mill District project has had its share of setbacks. Robert Sharp Architect Inc. was hired on for The Mill LLC.

Sharp is also one of the investment partners in the development. The Mill District has leased more than 60 percent of its commercial space so far.

Projection costs increased and financial issues hampered construction when the orginal contractor Jon Brittenum Jr. of J.M. Hooker Construction Inc. filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2002. The Mill District LLC took over as the general contractor with Tom Bordeaux as the manager of the LLC.

“Let’s just say that circumstances led us to spend more than we projected,” Bordeaux said.

Crews spent the first six months of construction salvaging the metal frame of what once was a full building. The original structure was filled with grain bins that had to be cut out of the building.

“The mill was a mere skeleton of what it once was when were finished with it,” Bordeaux said.

Lateral bracing had to be installed to protect the building from wind and earthquakes. Additional floors were added with steel beams and a cement deck. Although Bordeaux and Sharp built a warehouse from scratch in Montana, they had never refurbished an existing warehouse space before.

“Had we known the difficulty faced with the complexity of the rennovation and the condition of the existing structure, we might have started with a new frame,” Bordeaux said.

Both Bordeaux and Sharp said they are happy with the nearly finished product of the building. “I think the actual history involved in the building adds a lot to it,” Bordeaux said.

The duo saw the building as a “diamond in the rough” from the very beginning.

“We just felt that the traffic and visibility were excellent with the location of the mill right next to the university,” Bordeaux said.

Focusing on adaptive reuse projects, in the past Sharp’s firm has paired with developer Greg House of the Three Sisters building, Richard Alexander and Robert Merry-Ship on the Uark Bowl and, most recently, he designed the Reindl Warehouse, all in Fayetteville.

“I think that for an area to be successful it has to have it’s own unique identity,” Sharp said. “My vision is for Fayetteville to be a city rather than a big sprawl.”

Preserving uniqueness can be costly. The area also provided more affordable choices.

“We couldn’t afford to buy in the downtown area,” Sharp said.

The Mill District LLC purchased the property from a subsidiary of Campbell’s Soup in 1999.

The commercial office space continues to be leased at an average of $12-$13 per SF. The condominiums at the top of the building will eventually be leased at an average of $11 per SF. Sharp and Bordeaux are partners in Town Creek Developers, the commercial leasing agent for the site. Phase 2 building will follow to coordinate with the existing building.

“Ultimately I would like to see a truly mixed-use project that is an active destination for people,” Bordeaux said. “I think that the built environment can very strongly influence the way others feel about the community and the way people interact with each other.”