Something is coming to Mansfield

The Watermill District is planned for the southwest corner of W. Broad Street and Main Street, right in the heart of Historic Downtown Mansfield. The project will bring restaurants, retail, and office space to the area first, with brownstones and multifamily housing planned for a later phase.

Construction on Phase 1 began in November 2025, when crews started demolition and clearing the site. The project timeline calls for underground utilities to follow, along with about 12 months of construction work, including steel framing, masonry, and glass installation.

The first phase will cover the area stretching from W. Broad Street to the north side of the former lot perimeter wall. Unlike a development focused on just one type of use, the plan brings several together, with restaurant, retail, and office space making up the initial phase.

The project also has significant private investment behind it. Private developers are investing more than $30 million in capital improvements, while public infrastructure is funded through Mansfield Economic Development Corporation sales tax revenue and TIRZ financing.

The next phase will add another piece to the project. Phase 2 will add brownstones and multifamily housing, along with structured parking. That phase was scheduled to begin after Fire Station 1 relocated, which was expected in summer 2026.

The fire station's move is already part of the story. Fire Station 1 has relocated to a new site near Broad Street and Walnut Creek Drive, a location chosen to make it easier for emergency personnel to respond to medical and fire calls.

Once completed, Watermill District is expected to add more places for people to eat, shop, work, and eventually live in and around downtown. The residential component is also intended to provide a nearby customer base for downtown businesses, while planned public and structured parking will serve visitors and future residents.

The project is modeled in part after Dairy Block in Denver, Colorado, another mixed-use district that combines retail, restaurants, offices, and residential uses.

Construction is still underway before Watermill District looks like the finished plans, but changes are already underway. With the first phase focused on commercial space and future phases adding housing, the project could become a noticeable new part of Historic Downtown Mansfield.

For now, the intersection of W. Broad and Main is where to watch as the next pieces of the district come together.