Courtest Photo This is a photo of the Family Farm and Home store in Gaylord. The company is opening a location in Alpena in the former Big Lots location.

ALPENA – Economic development in the Alpena area is still going strong and in the coming weeks and months, new stores will open and other projects that are yet to be announced will begin to come to light.

On Thursday, Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Director Mike Maher offered an update to the community in a press release on some local projects in the works or ones that are completed.

Family Farm and Home

Family Farm and Home is a Tractor Supply type of business that is moving into the former Big Lots location.

“The visibility along U.S.-23 should serve them well,” Mahler said. “They have several locations in Michigan, with the closest being in Gaylord. They are currently advertising for a store manager.”

Family Farm and Home have stores mostly centered in the Midwest including Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Mahler said he is not sure of the timing and/or if there will need to be changes to the old store to accommodate the new business.

“It is very encouraging to see two thirds of the shopping center occupied,” he said. “Now, we need a business to occupy the former JoAnn Fabrics, which should be easier now because of the two long-term tenants driving up traffic counts into the shopping center.”

Rite Aid

The former Rite Aid building was sold in early October. We will have a new restaurant moving into half of the building and the owner will be seeking a tenant for the other half. The restaurant describes itself as a more upscale China buffet.

Ripley Street Station

There has been some activity at the old shopping center as well, Mahler said. He added he is not aware of anything imminent but he is glad to see improvements to the parking lot and general cleaning up of the property including the long abandoned old Western Auto building at the east end of the parking lot.

PACE Northeast Michigan

The Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly has opened their doors with a ribbon cutting being held last week. The former Peebles location has been dramatically transformed into a facility to assist the elderly to remain in their homes longer. Those that qualify get their medical care through the new facility and are even fed and entertained while there. It is cheaper for the state to assist seniors this way by allowing them to age in place rather than caring for them in an assisted living facility.

City property north of Alpena

In October, the Alpena Municipal Council approved a development agreement for the Gardens of Alpena housing project.

The developer is ready to begin clearing the property of trees, but the City is seeking confirmation that all the financing is in place prior to the commencement of the project including the tree removal.

Mahler said city officials are waiting for a letter from the lender for the project and once the City is satisfied, the developer has already selected the company to do the clearing work . He said the contractor will begin almost immediately once it is given the go ahead from the City.

At the same time, there is another housing developer doing an analysis for housing on the balance of the property the City owns.

The developer is collaborating with a seasoned team of residential builders, and they are exploring all options to determine if there is a viable path forward. The developer has met with City leaders to talk about the project and are determining a total cost profile, Mahler said.

“The question will center on how much rent they can collect for the rental units and how much they can expect to sell the free-standing homes for,” he said. “The upfront fixed costs for infrastructure need to be fully recovered through the rents and sales. The question is whether the market can support both the proposed rents and sale prices. We are looking for sources of funding to help assist with the upfront infrastructure costs.”

Mahler said he should have more information on this proposed project next month.

He added that the developer has about two months remaining under the option agreement they have with the City to finish the analysis.