Alpena Township gets $12,500 grant to update zoning for coastal resiliency
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ALPENA - Alpena Township has received a $12,500 grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to comprehensively update its zoning ordinance with a focus on coastal resiliency and the identification of small-scale wetlands for regulated protection.
The award is part of more than $770,460 in 2027 Michigan Coastal Management Program grants announced by EGLE to support 14 projects along the state's shoreline. The township will match the grant with $12,500 of its own funds, according to Supervisor Abbi Kaszubowski.
The project, titled Coastal Resiliency Zoning Ordinance & Wetland Inventory in EGLE materials, will involve a line-by-line reorganization and reevaluation of the ordinance. Kaszubowski said the work will address corrections the township believes are needed while placing particular emphasis on waterfront protections.
"We will be paying extra attention to setbacks from the water, especially, to protect the coastline as much as possible," she said.
The revision will also cover greenbelts and buffering requirements as well as protections for natural features. Kaszubowski said the update is intended to begin implementing coastal goals contained in the draft joint master plan currently being developed for Alpena County communities.
"This revision will start to implement some of the coastal goals in the draft joint master plan," she said.
The township will work with the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments on the effort, consistent with EGLE's project description. NEMCOG previously partnered with Alpena Township on a 2025 Coastal Management Program grant that funded an update to the township's master plan, including a new chapter dedicated to coastal issues and resiliency. That earlier grant totaled $11,250 with a township match.
Planning Commission meetings will serve as the primary forum for the zoning work. Kaszubowski said the commission will hold multiple working sessions that are open to the public as it revises chapters of the ordinance. Officials plan to examine every chapter rather than limiting changes solely to waterfront provisions.
"We will be doing a comprehensive revision of the township zoning ordinance with a specific focus on coastal issues like setbacks, greenbelts/buffering, and protection of natural features," she said. "The planning commission will have multiple working sessions open to the public where we revise chapters of the ordinance. We will look at all chapters of the ordinance."
A formal public hearing will be held once a draft is complete so residents can comment before any final adoption by the township board.
EGLE's announcement listed the recipient as Alpena Township but described the project as an update to "the city's zoning ordinance." Kaszubowski has clarified that the funds are for the township's ordinance. The department's more detailed grant awards document correctly identifies the township as the grantee and notes the partnership with NEMCOG.
Other Northeast Michigan recipients in the same round include Presque Isle County, which received $12,500 to update its zoning ordinance for coastal hazard resilience; Greenbush Township in Alcona County, which received $11,500 to revise its zoning ordinance to address coastal flooding, erosion and stormwater runoff; and Huron Pines, which received $75,000 to develop conceptual site plans for nature-based solutions at three locations in Oscoda Township.
The Michigan Coastal Management Program, administered by EGLE's Water Resources Division in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provides grants to coastal communities, nonprofits and Tribal Nations for planning, restoration and public-access projects. Eligible work includes local policy updates intended to reduce risks from coastal hazards such as erosion, flooding and changing lake levels.
Alpena Township's shoreline along Lake Huron has experienced the same fluctuations in water levels and related erosion and flooding pressures that have affected communities across the Great Lakes in recent years. The zoning update is expected to give the township clearer regulatory tools for setbacks, buffers and wetland protections as development continues in waterfront areas.
Township officials have discussed coastal planning and related grant opportunities at previous board and Planning Commission meetings. The current award formalizes funding for the zoning phase of that work.
No specific start date for the ordinance revision has been announced. Kaszubowski said the process will include public working sessions and conclude with a hearing on the draft ordinance. Residents will be able to follow the project through Planning Commission agendas posted on the township's website.