McLean developer transforms resort near his hometown
A few years ago, on a weekend trip to his hometown, deep in the hills of Southwest Virginia, McLean’s Norris Mitchell went out to dinner with family members who still live in the area.
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They took him to a restaurant at a sleepy resort. The food was good, but the views, overlooking a golf course, were stunning. A few years later, when the resort was put up for sale, Mitchell bought it. Such are the options available to a well-to-do real estate developer, the co-owner of Gardner Homes Realtors.
Nearly two years later, Olde Mill, 12 miles from the North Carolina border, is undergoing a $12 million facelift. The golf course and facilities have been upgraded and Mitchell is building homes that overlook the course.
It was never Mitchell’s ambition to undergo a project near his hometown. But that changed when he saw Olde Mill.
“It’s like this little jewel,” said Mitchell, who is not a golfer. “I figured if I liked it, there would be other people who would too.”
Mitchell grew up on a cattle farm 20 miles away, “on the other side of the mountain,” as he puts it, then went to Virginia Tech, an hour away in Blacksburg. Today the slogan on the sales brochure — “The Mountains Are Calling You Home” — speaks to the owner’s commitment.
These days, Olde Mill is a flurry of construction activity. Duplex manor homes will overlook the first hole. Single-story ranch villas will be off the 18th fairway. Mountain estates and cottages are scattered on the perimeter.
Olde Mill isn’t starting from scratch. The 37-year-old golf course (see review) was already a quality track, but in need of an update.
Olde Mill has the standard resort accoutrements, but it’s most endearing characteristic is its hospitality. When Mitchell took over, he did not clean house. Still in place is longtime General Manager Hagen Giles. The Director of Golf, Bo Goins, grew up in a home off the 6th hole. He returned to Olde Mill after a stint at five-star resort, Greenbrier.
“This place is so much different,” said Goins. “It’s home.”
Mitchell is counting on many others feeling that way.
