Fort Mill, SC
Kingsley Town Center
The Intersection of Textile Heritage and the Information Age
status
Completed 2016
client
Clear Springs Development Company
expertise
Mixed Use, Retail
services
Landscape Architecture Civil Engineering Master Planning Land Planning
A Mixed Use Reinterpretation of the Industrial Mill Aesthetic
Kingsley Town Center celebrates Fort Mill's industrial heritage, providing a unique address for corporate, commercial, and residential buildings amidst the natural amenities of the site.
Fort Mill, a small South Carolina mill town once home to Springs Industries — one of the largest textile manufacturers in the world and the linchpin of the local economy — is experiencing a major resurgence. Positioned at the gateway of Fort Mill, Kingsley Town Center is envisioned as the new economic engine for the region — a distinctive 660-acre mixed use district with historic character and corporate appeal. Planned to include a blend of retailers, apartments, hotels, dining, offices, and even hospitals, Kingsley’s urban mixed use atmosphere and industrial cues distinguish it from traditional office parks found in the Charlotte region.
LandDesign established the master plan for Kingsley, crafting a place that is both meaningful and unique to Fort Mill. Developed by Clear Springs Development Company, the first phase includes two large corporate headquarters for tenants Lash Group and LPL Financial, a hotel, 238 multi-family units, and 150,000-square-feet of small shops and restaurants across 110 acres of land. LandDesign provided landscape architecture and civil engineering services for this first phase, setting the infrastructure, landscape character, and materials palette that will define future phases.
Kingsley is a vibrant urban district that seamlessly blends new construction with the surrounding landscape to evoke the character of a restored textile mill. The design team infused the story of the Springs Industries legacy throughout the project, merging historic context with a contemporary mill style to celebrate the past in fresh and surprising ways. A rich collection of murals, brickwork, paving patterns, and lighting present industrial details at a comfortable scale, creating the backdrop for community to flourish.
In addition to the mill aesthetic, the design emphasizes Kingsley’s natural environment, with a four-acre lake as the Town Center’s shining centerpiece. Overlooking the lake is the development’s central gathering space, The Yard. Activated by bustling restaurants, this terraced green space is the common ground for community events. Complete with European-style plazas, main street shopping, waterfront dining, and an amphitheater, Kingsley honors the region’s textile legacy while offering a mixed use solution to diversify the town’s economy.
While many of the buildings are designed to look as if the mixed use development were a former Springs Industries textile plant dating to the 19th century, the entirety of Kingsley is new construction. The design team was tasked with rebuilding the industrial character in an authentic manner that builds value for Kingsley. To instill authenticity into the development, much care was taken to connect back to the heritage and traditions of Fort Mill.
Physical
Weave an assortment of materials, styles, spaces, and architecture together through a cohesive public realm
Functional
Create a meaningful connection to the textile economy, linking market demand to the forms and character of Fort Mill
Social
Instill awareness and pride of the region’s textile legacy by crafting community spaces within the backdrop of historic mill architecture
Physical
Weave an assortment of materials, styles, spaces, and architecture together through a cohesive public realm
Functional
Create a meaningful connection to the textile economy, linking market demand to the forms and character of Fort Mill
Social
Instill awareness and pride of the region’s textile legacy by crafting community spaces within the backdrop of historic mill architecture