DILLON, SC (WBTW) – The City of Dillon is moving forward with plans to redevelop its downtown on Main Street.
Dillon Mayor Todd Davis says there are plans to bring a hotel and apartments to the downtown area.
So far, three businesses have applied for a grant where the city will match up to $3,000 to fix the business front. Now the city is looking to bring more business to Main Street.
“Last night I stayed at a motel,” explains David Hart, a traveler through Dillon. Hart says he can tell the city struggles to maintain its historic buildings.
“It’s an older city with a lot of older buildings here. Some of them need to be preserved,” suggests Hart.
Mayor Davis says the goal is to fill the five vacant stores and bring more businesses to the area, like restaurants, apartments, and a hotel.
“We don’t have one here. A lot of agencies won’t even allow you to stay in a motel. We just don’t have a more upper scale hotel and we need one,” justifies Mayor Davis.
Davis says the owners of Love’s Travel Centers are interested in surveying the area.
“There place here already with the Love’s Travel Center is extremely busy. Dillon has changed in the last year dramatically so, we hope they will see the need for one,” says Mayor Davis.
The Dillon Downtown Redevelopment Committee hopes to survey businesses to see how the city can improve downtown.
“We have to put a product to market first. We want a more vibrant Main Street [then] we need to have investors come in and invest on Main Street,” adds Mayor Davis.
Davis says the city added the up-fit grant which will match up to $15,000 for things like electrical or plumbing work. He hopes to hear from Love’s Travel Center in the next couple of months.