[MUSIC PLAYING]
DOUG ECHOLS: There's a lot of things
to think about when you talk about where Riverwalk
is located.
One is it used to be a chemical plant.
And I wondered for many, many years, as did a lot of folks
about, actually, what would happen.
How would we ever clean all this up?
NARRATOR: Based on the site of the Celanese Acetate Filament
Plant, Riverwalk is a community in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
It features housing, dining, shopping,
and athletic opportunities.
The plant is a major part of Rock Hill's history
and economy.
It employed as many as 2,300 people from the 1940s,
until it closed in 2005.
In 2008, the Assured Group bought the land
and initiated a cleanup operation.
Shortly after, a partnership was created.
It is a public/private partnership.
So in exchange for 250 acres of land worth over $8 million
the city has then partnered to build these various cycling
amenities, and nature amenities.
NARRATOR: In part because of the history
behind the site of Riverwalk, it was
important to the city and the developers
to use this newly acquired land to create facilities
that added to the economy.
One natural advantage Riverwalk has is its location.
DAVE WILLIAMS: Riverwalk is 1,008-acre master plan,
mixed-use community, located on three miles of the scenic
Catawba River.
The overall vision for the project
was to create a sustainable active outdoor lifestyle.
NARRATOR: The vision to create an outdoor lifestyle
was accomplished.
Riverwalk has walking and biking trails, athletic fields,
and a canoe and kayak launch, among other amenities.
It is also home to two world-class cycling facilities.
This makes it a destination for many,
not only from outside of the Carolinas,
but from outside of the United States as well.
And with the UCI BMX World Championship
happening in Rock Hill next year,
the city expects major economic impacts.
DOUG ECHOLS: We will have 3,300 riders from 45 countries,
and probably 20,000 to 30,000 visitors from around the world.
And that's over a 10-day period.
And we project the economic impact
to see somewhere between $10 and $13 million.
NARRATOR: This, of course, was all part of the master plan.
Rock Hill has a long history in using sports tourism
for economic development.
Over the last 10 years we've done around $141 million
of direct economic impact with all of our sports venues.
And just last year was right at $21 million.
NARRATOR: With the help of the growing presence
of sports tourism in Riverwalk, new businesses
are being attracted to the community.
Certainly, this mixed-use and the recreational amenities are
very attractive.
And that really helps us compete with other locations
in attracting new industrial and office development.
NARRATOR: Recognizing the opportunity
in the community themselves, Colby Mosier and Elliot Close,
co-owners of the Pump House Restaurant,
bought the former Catawba river pump house from River Walk.
They created a space for fine dining.
Not ever being in the restaurant business before,
Mosier saw this building as a unique opportunity
to create a restaurant around the idea
of an old-fashioned pump house, paying tribute to the Celanese
plant that was there before.
We've had several employees that worked in the building
come in that-- a lot of them are older now.
And they just believe the changes.
NARRATOR: Although the Pump House
was the first restaurant in the Riverwalk community
it won't be the last.
Other businesses and restaurants have already made plans
to build in Riverwalk.
And for business owners already developed in the area,
that's great news.
COLBY MOSIER: All that just adds to the excitement,
and brings-- I think all of it's good for us--
it brings more people here.
And with the events that Riverwalk has with BMX track,
and with the Velodrome, all those things help us.
And I think we help them, because we give them
an opportunity.
NARRATOR: The new businesses and facilities in Riverwalk
display only a portion of economic growth in the area.
New residents also play a major part.
This community is a live, work, play community.
There'll be 750 single-family homes.
There will be approximately 400 condos, and 500 apartments.
So it will contribute to the tax base
for Rock Hill, which is very good.
NARRATOR: BMX athletes and visitors to the area
were impressed.
There's a lot of things to do in this community
if you're an active person.
If you ride bikes, anything, it's
a great venue to race BMX, and also a great, great city
itself, to do whatever, really, you want.