60% of new Northside affordable housing complex leased.

Affordable housing advocates and civic leaders from across county lines toured Spartanburg's 500 Northside Station, a 90-apartment complex on the campus of the bygone Spartan Millsfor the first time today.

NonprofitNorthsideDevelopment Group considers the project to be the catalyst of their redevelopment work in the neighborhood.

"This has been a long time coming," Michael Williamson, CEO of the Northside Development Group, told the crowd at the ribbon cutting. "This project has been here before I was here, so I think that makes it seven years in the making."

The urban-style building is a mixed-income community with nine market-rate units and 81 units for residents and with incomes ranging from 30% to 80% of area median income levels, developed through public-private partnerships between the city of Spartanburg, Spartanburg Housing, NHE Inc. and SCG Development.

"As many have said before, partnerships are key to what we do," Williamson said.

So far, 60% of the building has been leased, according to NHE's Dawn Hall.

"Spartanburg Housing is committed to creating more affordable housing opportunities for the Spartanburg community,"ShauntEvans, CEO of Spartanburg Housing, said in the release."We are happy that we were able to be a strategic partner to help move Northside Station from a concept to a place where...