New housing, restaurant part of old Pelzer Mill redevelopment

Chris and Kisha Edwards Gandsy are returning to their home state of South Carolina, bringing their restaurant concept, Daleview Biscuits and Beer, to redevelopment of the old Pelzer Mill site in Anderson County.

The restaurant will open in the building off Lebby Street that once housed the offices of Pelzer Mill, a building where Mrs. Gandsy’s mother, who retired from Gerber Childrenswear in 1996, picked up her paychecks.

“I grew up in Pelzer and lived here until I left for New York where I’ve stayed for 20 years,” Kisha Edwards Gandsy said during a recent press conference announcing the redevelopment project. “I’m so grateful that our town has such soldiers working to make sure this work happens. I look forward to not only building biscuits but building community with love and the social and emotional support that communities need to really truly thrive and make memories together.”

The Gandsy’s own Daleview Biscuits and Beer, a gluten-free establishment in Brooklyn, NY. The restaurant is named for Dale View, the small predominantly black neighborhood in Columbia, SC where Chris Gandsy grew up.

The property where Pelzer Mill once stood was donated to Pelzer Heritage Commission in 2013. Since that time, the nonprofit organization has worked with the County of Anderson, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and Cardno, Inc. on environmental cleanup and maintenance of the site.

The commission recently unveiled a redevelopment plan for the old Pelzer Mill properties that includes construction of nine single-family cottages, almost 200 apartments and the restaurant.

Single-family dwellings known as Pelzer River Cottages will be built on Parker Street at the former mill site along the Saluda River. Architectural details of the new homes will pay homage to the traditional mill village, according to Chris Hill of Scout Realty Group and Craftwell Homes in Greenville.

“We’ve gotten into a niche where we do quite a bit of redevelopment and building around mill villages,” Hill said during the press conference at Historic Pelzer Auditorium. “We target workforce housing, and I can’t tell you the number of teachers, firemen and policemen who have bought homes from us in mill villages.”

Hill’s companies have completed housing projects in Judson Mill, Brandon Mill and Woodside Mill in Greenville and Victor Mill in Greer, with upcoming projects planned in Williamston, Belton, Easley, Spartanburg and Woodruff.

Another component of the mill’s redevelopment plan features Upper Mill Apartments, an 80-unit apartment community for those aged 55 and older. Additionally, 95 loft style apartments will be developed at the Lower Mill site that includes restoration of the remains of the lower mill and the construction of two new buildings. Apartment homes will be built by Cadence Development LLC and Rehab Builders Inc. in North Carolina. Construction is expected to begin in Spring 2022.

“Our passion is historic preservation and saving buildings in small towns and large towns everywhere, so we are excited about this opportunity,” said Tonya Haddock, managing partner of Cadence Development. “We want to target younger, Millennial crowds to get some young, fresh faces added to the Pelzer community.”