The Office of Economic Development and the city of Danville announce that the former Research Building of Dan River Inc. will be redeveloped by RDD, LLC, a group of private investors. This building sits on the south bank of the Dan River and is bordered by Main and Bridge streets.
The building after renovation will house the Danville Orthopedic Clinic and its associated practices in addition to both training facilities and medical practices to be operated by Danville Regional Medical Center. Additionally, the building will house commercial entities on the street level floor and a restaurant facility in an adjoining building adjacent to the river.
Jeremy Stratton, director of economic development, said, “This announcement is a major win for the River District. It will restore one of the most historic buildings in the city, bring employees and patients every day to the River District, and become a beautiful addition to the 100 percent corner of the district.”
Dr. Mark Hermann, an orthopedic surgeon affiliated with the Danville Orthopedic Clinic and a principal member of RDD, LLC said, “We are thrilled to be able to restore the building where Dan River Mills began in 1882, and where it became an industry leader in textile research. Our goal is to provide our physicians and our patients with state of the art facilities while at the same time making the building a pleasant place in which to work and receive medical care. The planned restaurant facility will provide a place for people to gather and enjoy outstanding food and experience the beauty of the Dan River.”
The Industrial Development Authority of Danville has participated in this project by purchasing the former Acrees Warehouse and will be converting that building to a parking facility. The parking in this facility will be directly across Bridge Street from the main building, Pedestrian access will be from the corner of the warehouse building closest to the building housing the clinics.
Numerous agencies have cooperated to make this project possible. The Virginia Tobacco Commission has provided $250,000 for the project. The Governor’s Industrial Revitalization Fund, through the Virginia Department of Community Development, has approved $600,000 for the parking facility. The city of Danville will be providing grants totaling $400,000 and that money will be transferred to RDD, LLC as benchmarks are met.
RDD, LLC has committed an investment of $14.5 million to the project and will add at least 40 jobs to Danville as a result of this development. The renaissance of the River District is fully under way with the announcement of this exciting project.