New luxury apartments with storefronts beneath emphasize downtown living in Rocky Mount

The Davis Lofts complex would look at home in any major city, and Troy Davis says that's the point. He hopes to make his vision of a livable downtown Rocky Mount a reality, helping his hometown reach its full potential.

"Seeing people live above the shops is something people are doing all across America, and I think Rocky Mount has its time now," said Davis, owner of Davis Property Group.

The three-building complex is made up of street-level storefronts, with the downtown area’s first luxury apartments upstairs.

Davis says it took more than three years of work and $1.7 million dollars in investment to transform this corner of downtown.

"Living in downtown Atlanta, downtown Charlotte, I’ve seen higher rents, and I think that now is the time for people to want to move and live in downtown Rocky Mount," he said.

Four of the 22 units already have renters moved in, but the Davis Lofts won’t just cater to the well-off in the community – three of the apartments will be offered anonymously as affordable housing to families in need.

"We were able to intertwine some lower-income folks into this property, which is great because now you don’t know who lives next door to you," he said, "You don’t know if it’s a doctor or a lawyer, or somebody working at the grocery store or somebody working at a local restaurant downtown."

While the lofts are just one piece of the growth coming to downtown Rocky Mount, Davis believes they’re a leap forward for a community that’s looking to take the next step.

"It’s being able to be the face of Main Street and seeing people walk and talk," he said. "I’ll be so excited to see everybody revitalize their buildings in downtown Rocky Mount."

Davis says they should wrap up the last pieces of construction here within the next two weeks.