Turning the one of the oldest commercial buildings in Lynchburg into apartments is the goal of two developers, according to the Lynchburg News & Advance.

This could be great for downtown homeowners by encouraging more people to live downtown, and making the area more marketable to residents.

"Larry Cluff thinks that the people who once worked at Piedmont Mills had great views from the tall windows that let light into the otherwise-dark building.

Within two years, he wants loft apartment residents enjoying those same views.

'It’s got beautiful potential,' he said, pointing out a view of the Craddock-Terry Hotel from the second story of Piedmont Mills. Other windows in the building, which was built in the late 19th-century and is one of the city’s oldest commercial buildings, reveal views of surrounding historic buildings and the James River.

Cluff and his business partner Chris Chadwick are piecing together their plans to renovate the building, simultaneously saving it from demolition.

They plan to create more than 80 apartments in the brick structure on Jefferson Street and the tall white silos behind it.

They are currently taking bids from roofing contractors, Chadwick said. In coming months they want to begin putting up a new roof and stabilizing the building, which has been in such a state of disrepair that it’s on the fire department’s 'no entry' list.

The pair has secured long-term financing for the project, and now is looking for a construction loan.

They expect construction to start in the spring and finish within a year and half."

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