By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

BURRILLVILLE — The Planning Board has given developers the green light to proceed with redevelopment of the old clock tower building at the former Stillwater Mill in Harrisville.

The planners’ preliminary vote on Sept. 8 paves the way for Neighborworks Blackstone River Valley Alliance, which is heading the overall rehabilitation of the mill site, to begin work on the clock tower building, which has loomed over the sprawling 4.4-acre mill site for years and is considered the architectural crown jewel of the former textile mill. The town sold the building to Neighborworks Blackstone River Valley Alliance in July. As part of the project, the Clock Tower Building will be converted into 47 mixed-income and elderly housing units with work to begin in the fall.
This is the last phase of the mill rehabilitation project, which included the town’s construction of the new Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library. The $9 million library facility was constructed at the north end of the Stillwater Mill site and is the cornerstone of the town’s efforts to revitalize the mill. The library opened this past spring.
Town Manager Michael C. Wood said the clock tower building will be rehabilitated back to its original 1911 appearance.
“The northerly end of the building that is closest to the new Jesse M. Smith Library will house an office suite complex, with up to five office suites sharing conference meeting space and support services,” said Wood, adding the utilization of the office space will fall under the jurisdiction of the Burrillville Redevelopment Authority.
According to Wood, the existing riverfront plaza and railing system that serves the library will
be expanded behind a portion of the clock tower for an additional 265 feet. The current one-story portion of the mill (dye house) closest to the library will be demolished and replaced with a passive green space area.
The project will include innovative “green” building practices such as a geothermal heating and cooling system; durable cementious siding and trim and low-e windows. Surface water that does enter the Clear River will be treated onsite by innovative stormwater structures prior to discharge, Wood said.
“The Clock Tower Building is a very complicated project,” he said. “Making the project viable to the development community was the fact that the town received $910,000 in cleanup funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Burrillville successfully competed for the award against the likes of Los Angeles, Milwaukee, San Diego, New York, Pittsburgh, Memphis and Sacramento.  The average population of those cities is 790,000; Burrillville’s population is 16,000.”
Last November, the mill was the chosen location to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the voter-approved $50 million bond referendum for affordable housing. The Harrisville mill is one of 20 affordable housing development projects throughout the state to be included in the first round of bond funding last year.
The Harrisville mill rehabilitation project recieved $1.2 million in bond funding from Rhode Island’s Housing Resources Commission — which is administering the bond funding program — to establish 36 affordable apartments eligible for those making between 40 and 60 percent of median income.
The Housing Resource Commission released an additional $2.5 million in bonds — for rental units only — earlier this year. The commission plans to award an additional $12.5 million through Building Homes Rhode Island in each of the next three years through 2010.
The mill complex was built 100 years ago and at one time manufactured worsted cloth. The mill was in operation during both world wars and was last used in the 1960s.
After a major fire damaged the mill in 1894, the buildings were rebuilt and manufacturing continued. In 1904, the largest concrete fire-proof mill of its kind in New England was built by mill co-owner William Tinkham. It still stands today and is known as the Clock Tower building.
At its meeting on Sept. 8, the Planning Board also granted preliminary approval for development of the former Pliant Corporation located on Douglas Pike in Nasonville. That project, which will also combine residential with retail and or office uses, will be called Nason Mill Landings.
The Nason Mill project will offer 25 two-bedroom flats and 12 two-bedroom townhouses within the former mill building. “These flats will offer great views of the beautiful Branch River,” Wood said.
Four carriage duplexes will front on Douglas pike replicating the original historic streetscape. Also included within the complex will be a 3,770 square foot restaurant with capacity for 150 patrons; a 6,000-square-foot area for retail space; and a 5,200-square foot indoor pool and exercise center for the residents of the complex.
“The project includes nine affordable units equal to or less than 120 percent of the median income for the statistical area which is currently $68,300 according to HUD, thereby affordable to nearly all of those working in the service and or retail sectors of the economy,” Wood explained.
According to Wood, Nason Mills provides an environmental benefit by cleaning up and reusing a mill property that is no longer able to support a manufacturing base.
“Rather than decaying into the Nasonville landscape, Nason Mill Landings will serve as a gateway to Burrillville for residents and visitors traveling north and south along Route 102,” he said. “Cutting edge, low-impact development infrastructure such as a pervious block pavement system will be used throughout thereby allowing rainwater to infiltrate the site without having to build unsightly detention basins.”