After years of sitting quiet, the Cannon Mill site in downtown Kannapolis is getting a second act that leans hard into the city’s textile roots. Fresh renderings from Charlotte-based Cambridge Properties show a mixed-use overhaul that layers in brick-heavy facades, large murals and textile-inspired details while promising new retail, hundreds of homes and upgraded public infrastructure. Backers say the plan is designed to stitch the old mill footprint back into a walkable downtown with a grocery anchor, townhomes and apartments.
Cambridge Properties' project page outlines roughly 304 multifamily units and about 134 townhomes, plus a retail village of about 12,600 square feet of shop space at the N. Main and Loop Road intersection. The City of Kannapolis says the Market at Millstone will be anchored by a roughly 53,000-square-foot Harris Teeter that is targeted to open in summer 2027, with an estimated 100–200 retail jobs tied to the store. Investors are already circling the housing side: PPR Capital Management has highlighted a build-to-rent townhome component, with first units planned for 2027.
Design Nods To Cannon Mills' Textile Past
Concept images shown to city leaders put the old mill front and center, at least in spirit. Heavy masonry, large-scale murals and textile-patterned surfaces are all intended to “commemorate Cannon Mill” and the people who worked there, according to the Salisbury Post. Kannapolis designer Buzz Bizzell told the paper the goal was to “honor the people, craftsman and the artist that worked here,” and said he collaborated with Cambridge on signage and structures for a planned Millstone Village entry. The same reporting notes that Cambridge has committed about $4.5 million in public infrastructure tied to the project and has estimated the full buildout could add roughly $150 million to the city's tax base.
Timeline, Units And The Grocery Anchor
According to investor materials, the first townhomes are expected to hit the market in 2027, with larger multifamily phases following in 2028. The city has described Harris Teeter as the summer 2027 anchor for the Market at Millstone and has pegged the store at about 53,000 square feet, with parts of the site already under construction. If those schedules hold, the grocery and first wave of homes would kick off the project over the next two years, with additional phases rolling out after that.
Council Debate Over Public Signage And Money
Not every line item sailed through. Property managers asked the city to chip in about $200,000 for prominent entry signage for Millstone Village, but council members said no to that request, according to the Salisbury Post. The debate highlighted an ongoing local question: how much public cash and visual prominence the former Cannon Mills footprint should get as redevelopment ramps up.
What It Could Mean For Downtown Kannapolis
If the project lands as planned, Millstone Village would turn a portion of the old Plant 4 site into a denser, mixed-use neighborhood that helps tie downtown to the North Carolina Research Campus and other recent investments. City planning documents and council materials show the Plant 4 parcels have been on the redevelopment wish list for years, and leaders have framed this effort as a way to speed up long-term downtown revitalization goals. The final scale and timing will ride on approvals, phasing and market conditions.
