Courtesy Rendering This render shows the proposed design for an Aldi grocery store off of M-32 West on Crittenden Court.

ALPENA — Aldi took another step at coming to Northeast Michigan on Monday after a site plan for a new Aldi store was unanimously approved by the Alpena Township Planning Commission on Monday.

The approval comes after several years of back-and-forth discussion about bringing an Aldi to Alpena.

The grocery store chain — which has over 2,200 stores, including 102 in Michigan — would be built on Crittenden Court, off of M-32 West — across the street from the Hampton Inn and Suites that is currently under construction.

Developer Mike Curis, of Alpena Retail North LLC, said that he is “excited for the community” to build Aldi. Curis is also currently supervising the construction of the Marshalls on Bagley Street next to the Alpena Meijer.

Aldi would take two lots off of Crittenden Court, constructing an approximately 20,000 square foot building and 92 parking spaces. The two lots total about 2.3 acres and the front of the store would face M-32.

Curis said the Aldi store is projected to open in the second quarter of 2024, but did not say when the building of the store might begin.

An Alpena location has been on Aldi’s radar for several years.

Aldi first took an interest in Alpena in 2020 when discussions were held with Alpena Public Schools about a deal that would have turned over a school-owned property where the district’s bus garage is on M-32 to a developer to build an Aldi in exchange for a new bus garage to be built near Park Family Field at Wildcat Stadium at Alpena High School.

The property where the current bus garage is has significant environmental issues however, and talks between the two sides stalled over contributions to the cost of clean-up.

The district considered trading the property for a bus garage in a different location instead, but a deal was never reached.

Alpena Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Director Mike Mahler said in his mid-year report in January that, despite plans falling through with APS, Aldi was still interested in building a store.