LYMAN — When the Pacific Mills plant shuttered in 2005, it wasn’t clear what could become of the site after most of the buildings were demolished.
Twenty years later, most of the property is owned by the town of Lyman.
All that’s left on the plant property is a building once used as the administrative office and the textile mill’s former boiler room. The town also owns a parking lot near the site.
The results of a feasibility study on what could be potentially developed at the site should be presented to town officials in late 2025. From there, the town expects to begin seeking interested developers.
Mayor Glenn Greer told The Post and Courier that students from Clemson University recently conducted a study offering five development scenarios.
There’s already been some interest from developers, he said.
“We have had a few developers contact us, but we are waiting for the feasibility study to come back,” Greer said. “The town has not seen any renderings yet. Unfortunately, when the mill was closed, some demolition was done as part of the process, and we hope to keep some of the buildings that still remain and as much of the historic character as we can.”
Greer added, “The Clemson students gave us some good ideas on what we could end up seeing developed there, and we will begin accepting proposals from developers once the feasibility study is done. We aren’t ruling anything out for the property, but it makes the most sense for us to have some sort of mixed-use development. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be financially feasible. I don’t see it being light industrial again.”
Pacific Mills was one of the largest textile mills in Spartanburg County. It was established in 1923 and underwent its first expansion in 1972. In time, nearly 400 homes were built near the plant.
It was the social center of town and included a community pool and had its own baseball league. In 1954, the mill was sold to Burlington Industries.
Reminders of the mill’s past persist, including a building now housing Lyman Town Hall that was formerly used by the mill.
In 2023, the town celebrated the mill’s 100th anniversary. It’s history that won’t be forgotten as the town aims to see the site redeveloped.
“We hope to see it again as a central place in town,” Greer said. “The redevelopment will help revitalize downtown and bring more retail and new housing. There will be some green space, too.”
Redevelopment of the former mill site could begin sometime in 2027. Additional testing of the site by the Environmental Protection Agency will be conducted in the meantime. Initial testing by the EPA was conducted at the site in 2019.
Another project gaining momentum after some delay is Pacific Place at the corner of Groce and Spartanburg roads in downtown Lyman. The $6.5 million project will include apartments, retail space and a restaurant.
Developer Rodney Godfrey said construction is scheduled to begin summer 2026 and be completed by late 2027. Water and sewer has already been installed at the site.
“We are still planning to build that development,” Godfrey said. “There’s been a lot of moving parts that have delayed it but we are back on schedule.”
The 18,500-square-foot mixed-use development will include space for eight shops, eight apartments and a restaurant.
Lyman, located in western Spartanburg County, has more than 7,000 residents.