On November 17, 2008, the Parchment City Commission entered into a redevelopment agreement with River Reach Partners LLC, based in Greenwood Village, Colorado to undertake the redevelopment of the 83-acre former Crown Vantage Paper Mill. Crown Vantage declared bankruptcy in 2000 closing the mill and eliminating 249 local jobs in the process. The community derived its name from the fact that paper production was the main manufacturing business in the community for many years going back to 1909 when the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company began operations.

Now vacant, the property is burdened with environmental contamination and large obsolete buildings. River Reach Partners intends to cleanup the site, demolish the structures and construct roadways and utilities in support of a new mixed use residential, retail and commercial development. The plan calls for the construction of more than 350 single-family residential units, 30,000 square feet of retail space and 40,000 square feet of commercial office space. The project also includes a number of community amenities such as walking trails, a riverfront boat launch, new riverfront park and amphitheater, community pool or recreation facility, neighborhood pocket parks and boulevard roads.

• River Reach Project Timeline
• River Reach Project Status - UPDATED!