A groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction for the Aaron Mills Apartment Complex was held onsite Wednesday, June 5. Located at 200 Aaron Street, the Aaron Mills Apartment Complex will become a senior apartment complex with 52 units.
The complex will include 34 one-bedroom units and 18 two-bedroom units. It will also include community areas like picnic shelters, outside sitting areas, a community room, exercise room, computer rooms, gathering areas, and more.
Martinsville Mayor LC Jones said the location once housed the American of Martinsville factory, which made furniture.
“My father worked here, a lot of family members worked at this plant or next door. In 2014, we had a fire at one of the two sites and again in 2017 we had another fire,” he said.
As a result, Jones said the site sat dormant for several years.
However, as Martinsville began to grow, change its vision, and look at its need for housing within and outside the community, Jones said the Martinsville City Council at that time came up with the idea to work with Landmark Asset Services, a development and ownership company based in Winston-Salem, N.C., “to see what this could look like and fulfill the need, not just in housing, but for a lot of the elderly in our community.”
Jones said this project has been four years in the making, with a lot of state, federal, and local partners to make it happen.
“Today marks a great day not just for Martinsville, but for the state of Virginia,” he said. “As Martinsville grows and we have people come into this community from all over, it is a pleasure to be able to welcome them to something that we’re working so hard to build.”
Once completed, Jones said the apartment complex will be a live-in community that’s affordable and welcome to all.
Del. Eric Phillips, R-Martinsville, said he loves the smell of turned dirt because it means the project is progressing.
“I know it’s been a while. We had COVID, and interest rates, and all the things that went on, but so proud of our community and this project, and all the hard work that so many have put into it,” he said.
Phillips said he previously worked with Landmark Associates on some hotels in South Carolina, and vouched for the company.
“They’re a wonderful company,” he said, and he is “looking forward to getting this thing kicked off and started, and seeing the final result. It’s good for our community.”
While it may take a while from the time the project starts until it finishes, Phillips said it doesn’t mean people aren’t working hard behind the scenes.
Landmark Director of Development and Construction Management John Stiltner said in 2018, the company formed a public-private partnership with Martinsville to not only create senior housing but also to revitalize the area
“It’s been a long road. We were awarded tax credits in 2019, construction took off, COVID happened,” and “we had to go get some more money, and a lot of people stepped in on the money including the City of Martinsville … to help us push this along and get us to closing faster,” he said.
Stiltner said Landmark is excited about the site’s amenities and bringing a community into a small site it will help create.
“We’re really excited to get this project underway after five years. It’s been a long time coming,” he said.
At the end of the day, Stiltner said he and Landmark are proud and humbled by what is being created – giving much needed housing to a demographic that’s at the highest risk in the community.
He also thanked the numerous people who worked on this project behind the scenes including West Piedmont Planning District (WPPD), Virginia Housing, KMW Builders, and others.
KMW President Josh Blevins said he believes the Aaron Mills Apartment Complex will be a great addition to the area.
“This is our first project in Virginia, I’m really looking forward to it and glad it’s here in Martinsville. I think everybody’s going to be excited for it,” he said.
