Retrofit Atlas

Industrial sites · Virginia

American Viscose Plant Historic District

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedReinhabitedRetrofit approvedRoanoke, VA

Historic industrial site (212 acres) approved for mixed-use redevelopment (2023); residential permits active, retail/industrial unconfirmed. · summary, model-written

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Site profile10 elements · what this site is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Finance and pipeline
Retrofit in the pipelineThis site: …approved newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Place
Shrinking countyThis site: -0.9% census-acs · all sites with this
Scale
1M+ sq ft GLAThis site: 1,600,000 sq ft newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
60+ acre siteThis site: 212 acres newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: …mixed-use district of residential and commercial use record · all sites with this
ReinhabitedThis site: …mixed-use district of residential and commercial use record · all sites with this
New use
HousingThis site: …mixed-use district of residential and commercial use Approved by Roanoke City Council. newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Logistics and industrialThis site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Mixed useThis site: …mixed-use district of residential and commercial use Approved by Roan newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusRetrofit approvednewtypes-extraction reported
StrategyRedevelopment · Reinhabitation, approvedWikipedia no source
New useshousing, industrial, mixed, retailWikipedia no source
What is there nowmixed-use district of residential and commercial usenewtypes-extraction reported
Retrofit year2023newtypes-extraction reported
Developera local developernewtypes-extraction

History and original facts

Opened1917newtypes-extraction reported
Closed1958newtypes-extraction reported
Acres212newtypes-extraction reported
Gross leasable area1,600,000 sq ftnewtypes-extraction reported
Original developerAmerican Viscose Companynewtypes-extraction reported
CountyRoanoke city
Census division5 · South Atlantic
NotesDraft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: Former American Viscose rayon plant, later an industrial park, is being redeveloped into a mixed-use district called Riverdale in Roanoke, Virginia.

Planning

Public purchase or subsidyforgivable loannewtypes-extraction
Entitlement year2023Wikipedia no source
Planning notesApproved by Roanoke City Council.Wikipedia no source

Deals and debt

DateEventPricePartiesSource
1961Sold—consortium of Roanoke investors ← American ViscoseWikipedia

Site context

Housing permits, Roanoke (Independent City) (VA), 20240 units in 5+ unit buildings, 12 in 2–4, 101 single-family; 2023: 0 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: Tanglewood Mall (5.7 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)6,751 jobs in 460 establishments; average annual pay $37,233; employment location quotient 1.03; employment -5.2% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 20221,216 jobs; 178 in retail trade, 90 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 51770002700)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 33rd income percentile as adults; 2.7% incarcerated at the 2010 count (1,010 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)low-income, low-access tract (1 mile urban / 10 miles rural); 17% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 21.1%; median family income $42,241; 720 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsRoanoke City Public Schools (PK-12); 2 public schools within 1 mile: Morningside Elementary; John P. Fishwick MiddleNCES EDGE
Elevation913 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-202546 county-logged events: 16 flood, 10 flash flood, 10 heavy rain, 5 thunderstorm wind; $1,163,200 property damage reported; 1 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 24013, 2026-09median list price $182,463 (+7.6% on the year); 35 active listings; median 39 days on market; 24% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023532 establishments (-0%); 9,155 jobs (-8%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $219,673 (+1% 1 yr, +37% 5 yr); typical rent $1,280/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)9,960 vehicles a day on Bennington ST SE (minor arterial, 2 lanes); 287 trucks; 32 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS
Site metrics7,547 sq ft GLA per acre; FAR 0.17computed

Summary, model-written

The American Viscose Plant Historic District (212 acres, Roanoke, VA) was a rayon processing plant (1917–1958) owned by American Viscose Company. It closed in 1958, was purchased by Roanoke investors in 1961, and converted to an industrial park. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. In 2023, Roanoke City Council approved a mixed-use redevelopment plan (Riverdale) for housing, retail, and industrial use. A local developer secured a forgivable loan subsidy and began construction. Permits show 101+ residential units approved in 2023–2024. The site is adjacent to the closed Tanglewood Mall (5.7km).

Why. Approved redevelopment (2023), historic designation (2019), active construction (2023–2024 permits), and mixed-use strategy. The 212-acre scale and housing focus align with the record's 'opp_reasons'.

Where it stands. Status: Approved (2023). Construction underway (2023–2024 permits). New uses: Housing confirmed (residential permits), retail/industrial uses unconfirmed. Historic district status active. Nearby Tanglewood Mall closed (5.7km).

For a planner

  • Historic district status requires preservation considerations.
  • Mixed-use plan approved; residential permits active but retail/industrial not yet visible in permits.

For a developer

  • Local developer active (2023).
  • Forgivable loan subsidy secured.
  • 212 acres, but GLA (1.6M sqft) density unknown (record shows 7,547 sqft/acre).
  • No current occupancy data; only residential permits recorded.

What we do not know yet

  • No retail/industrial permits visible in 2023–2024 data.
  • Gla_sqft (1.6M) vs. 212 acres suggests high density, but parcel value and yield metrics are null in record.
  • No current occupancy or sales data beyond permits.

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Northland Center, Southfield, MI · Malls · similar size (159 acres); similar GLA (1,800,000 sq ft); same strategy: redevelop
  • Castle, Windcrest, TX · Malls · similar size (221 acres); similar GLA (1,200,000 sq ft); same strategy: reinhabit
  • Windcrest International Business Park, Windcrest, TX · Malls · similar size (221 acres); similar GLA (1,200,000 sq ft); same strategy: reinhabit
  • Reston National Golf Course, Reston, VA · Golf courses · similar size (168 acres); same strategy: redevelop, reinhabit; also in VA

Elsewhere on the web

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Multifamily screen

  • already in play: under construction, approved, or sold to a developer with housing plans
  • 212 acres
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

Background

The American Viscose Plant Historic District is an industrial park and historic district located in Roanoke, Virginia. The site is the location of the former American Viscose Corporation rayon processing plant that once employed over 5,000 and for a time was reportedly the largest rayon producing mill in the world. The plant's construction began in 1916 with the building of the first of what became three large processing plants of two spinning units each; the second began construction in 1921 and the third in 1925. With the plant's viability decreased by newer facilities elsewhere and rayon's usage supplanted by nylon and other synthetic fabrics, the factory closed in 1958.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1917 First spinning unit opened.
  2. 1917 Opened
  3. 1958 Factory closed permanently.
  4. 1958 Closed
  5. 1961 Property purchased by investors and converted to industrial park.
  6. 2019 District added to National Register of Historic Places.
  7. 2023 Roanoke City Council approved plan for mixed-use redevelopment (Riverdale).
  8. 2023 Retrofit: redevelop, reinhabit

Sources

  • American Viscose Plant Historic District · CC BY-SA 4.0
    6 quoted sentences
    The American Viscose Plant Historic District
    The plant's first spinning unit opened in 1917
    in 1958, the company announced their decision to close the plant permanently.
    In 1961, American Viscose auctioned off its remaining equipment and a consortium of Roanoke investors purchased the property. The site was subdivided and turned into the Roanoke Industrial Center

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