Run of the Mill

The Burton-Swartz cypress mill in Perry was said to be the biggest in the world.

Consolidated Forest Industries began closing down its 100-acre wood products operation at the west end of Perry's Main Street a year ago. The move caps a 92-year run of lumber milling in Perry that began with the Burton-Swartz Cypress Co. (1913-1944). The company, claim local historians, operated the biggest cypress mill in the world.

"The question was how to transition this large property to the next phase,'' says Wendy St. Laurent, of Winter Park. She and her husband, Will, own Consolidated Forest Industries.

St. Laurent now heads a redevelopment partnership of three mill area landowners who agree that a New Urbanist-style, mixed-use development is the answer.

This year, the team expects to break ground on the 258-acre Cypress Mill project, a 10-year, multiphase development with an expected $200-million economic impact.
Planned features include a town center, natural wetlands, walking trails, traditional neighborhood-style housing, commercial space, a North Florida Community College branch and a YMCA.

Project partners Bob and Vivian Sheffield say the redevelopment will be true to the site's history -- including preserving an original 1913 locomotive repair shop and a water tower erected in 1907.

Current lifestyle trends favor the project, says investor/developer Van Ness Butler, of Grayton Beach. "People want to move where it's not so crowded, and lots are moving away from the coast.''

Tags: Northwest