(WLOS) — A nonprofit organization has purchased a historic mill in McDowell County with the intention of turning it into affordable housing.

A press release from Givens Communities says the Asheville non-profit purchased the Clinchfield Mill, located at 56 Branch Street in Marion, North Carolina on Dec. 21, 2022 after receiving a $3 million grant from the Dogwood Health Trust.

Givens is actively applying to have the site added to the National Register of Historic Places, with “plans to preserve the historic integrity of the site” and to apply for various federal and state funding in 2023 to create affordable housing at the Clinchfield Mill site. Construction is not anticipated for at least a year, “except where necessary to preserve structures.”