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Town of Fries Washington Mills Redevelopment Project
Overview
Started in 1901 on a gentle bend in the New River in Southwest Virginia, a small town named Fries grew up around a new cotton mill. Operating for over 80 years, Washington Mills provided the livelihood for hundreds of families in Fries, Galax, and the surrounding mountains of Grayson and Carroll Counties in Virginia. Fries gained the distinction of being one of the birthplaces of Bluegrass Music when workman from the mill headed off to New York to record their music in the 1920's. Starting in the 1980's, Fries became a tourist town with the creation of the New River Trail and is now known as the town "Where the New River Trail Begins." A more recent development has been the creation of the "The Crooked Road" Heritage Music Trail which is very successfully connecting the many Southwest Virginia music venues, including those in and around Fries, to encourage additional visits by both casual and avid fans of Country and Bluegrass Music.
Approach
The missing piece in the rebirth of Fries is the old Washington Mills site. Mostly vacant now, this prime 13.3 acres of riverfront real estate is being made available for redevelopment by the Blue Ridge Crossroads Economic Development Authority (BRCEDA) and the Town of Fries supported by Site Development Grants for initial site and utility improvements from the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development. Community and state leaders are looking for a developer or developers that can develop a lodge, restaurant & retail facilities, and outdoor recreation/adventure facilities on the old Washington Mills site. K.W. Poore & Associates has been engaged by BRCEDA to develop a market study, financial feasibility analysis, and prospectus for the project. The firm is also serving as BRCEDA's agent in the search process for a qualified developer.
Interested Developers
The following documents are available to developers interested in submitting proposals for the Fries–Washington Mills Redevelopment Project. Click on the PDF icon (  ) to open the files in a new window, or right-click on the icon and choose "Save As" to download them to your computer.
- Fries–Washington Mills Financial Feasibility Analysis (220 KB)
- Fries–Washington Mills Market Study (5.63 MB)
- Fries–Washington Mills Prospectus (8.68 MB)
- Fries–Washington Mills RFP (96 KB)
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