Lewiston – Bates Mill officials held a news conference Thursday to announce a milestone that few would have predicted 10 years ago: Half of the space in the mill buildings owned by partners Tom Platz and Pat Maiorino has been renovated and is nearly occupied.

The complex has reached a “tipping point,” said Barbara Trafton, realty agent for the mill’s owners, which means development is now accelerating at a fast pace.

“This campus has changed dramatically,” she said. “Every day nearly 2,000 people surge (across) this campus” including employees, customers and guests. “Requests are at an all-time high,”

“It’s really a historic day,” said Maiorino. He said three mills with 275,000 square feet have been renovated and 260,000 of that has been leased. They are Mill No. 3 North and South, which fronts on Mill Street and is occupied by TD Banknorth; Mill No. 6, which fronts on Lincoln Street and has 45,000 square feet leased by Androscoggin Bank, Fish Bones American Grill, Bates Dermatology and Barnie’s Gourmet Coffee and Tea Co.; and Storehouse No. 7 on Lincoln Street, occupied by TD Banknorth.

Mill No. 1 and Mill No. 2, both beside the canal, will be renovated after Mill No. 2’s wing and storehouse are finished for first-floor occupancy by Davinci’s restaurant.

An additional 40,000 square feet will be added with the renovation of Mill No. 2.

The partners own a total of more than 600,000 square feet in their eight mill buildings.

Speakers at the news conference cited the mill complex’s amenities: natural light, high ceilings, big windows, extraordinary landscaping and a park.

“This is not the norm for every mill development,” said Trafton, standing with others at Fountain Park. “It’s extraordinary in landscaping improvements, outdoor spaces and indoor appeal. Employees can enjoy sunshine in the park.”

Mayor Lionel Guay noted, “As the textile industry has faded away, the private and public partnerships and Lewiston residents have seen the worth and potential of the economic development of the Bates Mill. It’s known as a historical landmark and once again it’s making history. As the employment numbers continue to grow, the Bates Mill comes back to life in a positive manner.”

The mill space has a high satisfaction rate among tenants and their employees, Trafton said, and is attracting attention from outside the city.

“We’re hosting meetings from organizations located as far away as Tennessee,” she said, adding that the Maine Commercial Realtors Association will hold its annual meeting at the mill later this year, for the first time ever in Lewiston or Auburn.

Recent additions to the mill campus include $50,000 in landscaping improvements, according to Maiorino, bringing the total investment in campus improvements to $150,000.

“We took everything out and started over again,” he said. Additions include a lattice backdrop to shrubs, a covered seating area and a lawn area that will eventually have picnic tables for employees to use at lunch and break times.

Two big storage tanks were recently taken down, leaving the round cement base of each, near two other smaller tanks painted by artist Melinda Campbell, who said she was honored to have been chosen to do the murals.

“Cobblestones are going in (on the cement bases), and there will be black wrought-iron fences enclosing a seating area and landscaping,” Maiorino said.

Guay thanked Platz and Maiorino for their vision, saying that despite the challenges they “creatively and consistently press onward.”

“Your presence here is certainly another reason why it’s happening here in Lewiston,” Guay said.

The city owns the massive Mill No. 5 at Main and Canal streets, and Boiler Plant No. 9 on Lincoln Street.