PROVIDENCE – After the city spent years trying to preserve Atlantic Mills, the iconic property is back on the market.
In September 2022, the Providence Redevelopment Agency entered into a purchase and sales contract with the owner, Howard & Eleanor Brynes LLC. Then in August 2023, the agency issued a request for information for interested firms to join in rehabilitating the property.
However, the owner declined to extend the purchase and sale contract “after PRA sponsored an environmental investigation through the R.I. Department of Environmental Management,” Josh Estrella, spokesperson for Mayor Brett P. Smiley, said on Aug. 8. He added that the investigation is something that would “inform any potential buyer’s due diligence process.”
The mill was listed for sale at LoopNet.com for $5 million on Aug 2 by Realtors from the Century 21 The Seyboth Team.
Robert Fox, commercial director for The Seyboth Team, told PBN the seller was hoping to close a deal with the city. However, unlike private buyers, “government agencies often face additional obstacles that can prevent them from facilitating a transaction.”
“We believe Atlantic Mills is a vital part of the heart and soul of Olyneville and believe that working independently is the best way to find the right buyer for this property,” Fox said.
Estrella said the city learned in late July that the owners were not extending the purchase and sales agreement.
In October 2022 PRA applied for a Targeted Brownfield Assessment of the property, which includes a Phase I and Phase II Site Investigation, DEM spokesperson Evan LaCross told PBN on Friday. DEM completed Phase I in July 2023 and Phase II Site Investigation in June 2024, which found polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons – or PAHs – metals and total petroleum hydrocarbons – or TPH – in site soils and vinyl chloride in groundwater. It also found bromoform in soil gas above the DEP standard.
DEM’s contractor, Fuss & O’Neill, is preparing a Remedial Action Work Plan that is expected to be completed by Oct. 5, and at that point, the agency’s assessment will be complete. Also, DEM is accepting public comments until Aug. 19 on the intended remediation and then a Remedial Decision Letter will be sent to the owner on Aug. 20, LaCross said.
Responses to the RFI were due Sept. 27, 2023, and Estrella said two entities responded to the RFI, which the PRA “has continued engaging.”
"We have provided the respondents to the RFI introductions to other potential participants, identified federal, state, and local resources and [have] communicated updates to the environmental assessment process," Estrella said. “The city continues to support the property's current mixed-use and is eager to assist future ownership in enhancing this community asset."
According to the RFI, the site was identified as a potential strategic investment in Olneyville.
“The property’s unique community, industrial and cultural legacy offers a rare, remaining opportunity for a mix of creative economy, maker space and design-focused small-scale users,” the document says. “This initiative seeks to preserve the historical landmark within the neighborhood while improving the space for current and future tenants and furthering the development of the design district.”
Possible uses for the approximately 348,000-square-foot, four-story building include space for design firms, retail stores, artisans, small businesses, nonprofits, office space, artist live-work space or “other affordable housing modes” that meet the project’s overall goals, according to the RFI.
Atlantic Mills served as the headquarters of the Atlantic Delaine factory in the mid-1800s. Then A.D. Julliard took over the property in 1904 and was the last to use it as a textile mill.
The Byrnes Families purchased the site in the 1950s and has remained a mixed-use, multi-tenant operation. According to the property listing, the mill is 100% leased and has a “thriving flea market.” The mixed-use property is marketed as ideal for businesses or a redevelopment project.
PRA was previously awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to preserve the mills. Along with this, PRA has said it was assessing a $3.9 million purchase option with the help of private funding or other resources for the acquisition and cost of repairs and improvements. In October 2023, the Providence Planning Department said the project was expected to cost around $15 million in total.
More recently, the mill was listed on the Providence Preservation Society’s 2024 list of most endangered places, citing the property’s deferred maintenance and hazardous conditions.
(UPDATE: Adds Realtor information and comment in 4th, 5th and 6th paragraphs. Adds further comment from Josh Estrella, spokesperson for Mayor Brett P. Smiley)
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
