Cardinal News: Then & Now takes a look back at the stories we brought you over the last 12 months. Through the end of the year, we’re sharing updates on some of the people and issues that made news in 2025. This installment: short takes on several development projects across the region.
Riverfront projects in Danville make progress
Then: The first tenants at Dan River Falls, a massive rehabilitated textile mill, moved in in December 2024. A second phase of construction planned to bring 40 more units online a year later. An adjacent riverfront park experienced construction delays, but aimed to open by spring 2025. Early concept and design planning for a third project, a whitewater channel, was beginning.
Now: The second phase of construction at Dan River Falls is complete, with tenants starting to move into this part of the building in early December. This phase added 40 units, bringing the total number of apartments in the building to 190. It also adds amenities such as a community garden and yoga studio, and includes increased parking space. The completion of this phase marks the end of residential construction at the building, though construction on office spaces for the city’s parks and recreation department, economic development department and Dewberry Engineering continues. Developers still expect that the building will house commercial space and restaurants on its first floor in the future.
Construction on the nearby riverfront park is now more than 18 months behind schedule, with a soft opening planned for January and a grand opening planned for spring 2026…