WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Expect to see exterior work begin on the Cable Mills project on Water Street in the coming weeks.
The former General Cable plant will be spruced up with masonry work in keeping with the mill's historic look. The town approved more than $167,000 in Community Preservation Act funds at town meeting earlier this year to ensure the building's facade is restored.

"It will start to look good on the outside and then the workers will move inside," said David Traggorth, project manager for developer Mitchell Properties LLC. "We want to start as soon as possible while the weather's nice."

Traggorth said the exterior work, primarily masonry repairs and restoration by Champlain Masonry, should be completed before winter with the heavier interior construction beginning this fall and into next year. The first units are expected to be completed by fall 2010. U.W. Marx Construction Co. of Troy, N.Y., is the general contractor.

The $23 million residential development — which will include both market-rate and affordable housing units — has been in the works for a half-dozen years. It's been slowed by construction costs and the death of the first developer.

Despite those delays, work has been going on inside and outside the mill, out of sight from most residents. "The interior is beautiful," said Traggorth. "It's been sandblasted and demolished — it's just huge empty space."

Williamstown Chamber of Commerce members got a look at the stripped-down interior a year ago. Now the designers for the project, Finegold Alexander + Associates, have released the first interior views.

The renderings of Residence 302 are designed to give potential buyers an idea of what their unit would eventually look like. New Ashford native Tom Greenwood of Sofield Studios in New York was commissioned to do the renderings and several more. Marketing of the first 30 units began several months ago with Harsch Realty of Williamstown.

"It can be difficult at this stage in the process for some buyers to imagine how historic mill buildings with 14- to 16-foot ceilings, exposed brick and beam, and oversized windows create wonderful living spaces, but these images show how years of experience with these types of buildings and hundreds of hours of design time can yield exceptionally comfortable, beautiful living spaces that people could call 'home' and will enjoy for years to come," said architect James Alexander in a statement.

Residence 302 with two bedrooms and two bathrooms is being offered for $449,900; other units start in the $250,000 range. This is the second phase in what is designed to be a mixed residential area with a total of 61 units; a third phase will include another 20 units in townhouses along with paths along the Green River. At least a dozen units will be reserved for lower-income families.

More than $1.5 million in town CPA funds and more than $1.3 million in state funds have been committed to the redevelopment of the site, which is expected to generate nearly a half-million dollars annually for the town.

Traggorth said interest in the units is high despite the year-old recession. Some 400 queries have been made from inside and outside the Berkshires.

"Our confidence has never wavered in what Williamstown can draw in terms of people wanting to come back here. They fall in love with the place. It's because it's a great place to be ... You have Williams College, the Clark Art," he said. "We know that if there's any project that's going to buck a national trend it's going to Cable Mills."