In a few weeks, the property at 416 Ford Ave., the nearly 90-acre site formerly operated by Decorative Panels International, will go up for auction and gain new owners.

Over the last few weeks, the future of this property has been discussed by the Alpena City Council and residents who have weighed in. The city is considering re-zoning the property from one that allows heavy industry on the site to one that prohibits it.

Zoning sets the parameters that the property can, and cannot, be used for. Can another factory operate on the site? Can single-family homes be built? Can part of it become a park space? How tall of a new building could be built? Zoning lays the groundwork for what the property can be.

Since the Alpena’s incorporation in 1871, zoning has been used to define land use to ensure the safety and health of its residents — and protect their best interests. Zoning lays out what types of businesses go where, what materials buildings should be built out of, where single-family homes vs. multi-family homes go, and much more. Many of the historic brick buildings we know and love downtown are the result of local zoning. After fires swept through the wooden buildings of downtown in the 1870s and 1880s, the city enacted zoning laws to dictate that any new buildings had to be built out of the more fire-safe brick material. Although single buildings still suffered fires, the brick material prevented the fire from spreading across buildings and destroying entire blocks. Property owners saw the potential of zoning to not just regulate randomly, but protect their own property interests.

The rezoning of DPI — before it goes up for auction — would determine what that property could be used for and what kind of neighbor northside residents would have. It could prohibit it from being a heavy industrial site again.

Over the last seven years in my role, I have received numerous complaints from business owners and residents about the odor, sounds, and air quality surrounding the plant when it was operational. I had potential investors share that they wouldn’t consider purchasing property on the northside of our downtown given the odor. There were a few instances where state or tourism officials were in town, and their first comment was about the smell that drifted into the district. Boaters have lodged complaints about the sound and smell from the factory when staying in the marina. With all the efforts across organizations to improve and grow our downtown, having an active factory adjacent to our district continuously hampered our efforts to create a clean, welcoming, and beautiful environment for businesses and residents.

Having 86 acres adjacent to the downtown on the lakefront is an immense opportunity for not only our downtown but the whole of the community to re-envision this property.

Can you imagine how the dynamics of our downtown would change if that property was redeveloped with additional housing, public space, trails, waterfront access, and new commercial space for shops, restaurants, and offices?

Across the state, I have seen the transformation of post-industrial sites: Bay Harbor on Lake Michigan, Lakeshore Park Place in Marquette, and numerous projects in Detroit, including the Detroit Riverfront improvements. While these may not be an exact blueprint for what is best for Alpena, they provide plenty of inspiration for what that property can be.

There is a misconception that the site only has economic potential as a manufacturing facility. Would not new housing on the site attract new residents that could fill existing jobs in the area? Would not new commercial space allow new shops, restaurants, or offices that would create new jobs in the area? Would not greenspace, trails, and waterfront access bring visitors to the area that would spend money at our shops and restaurants?

As was cited at a council meeting, the zoning of this property will most likely be the least of the worries for the property’s future owners, given the costs and complexity of cleaning up over 70 years of contamination on the site (including recently revealed PFAs). This should not stop us from envisioning what the site can be — something that truly serves the needs of the residents, protects our cherished lakefront, and moves us toward the long-term vision for Alpena.

Anne Gentry graduated from Brown University with a degree in comparative literature and has studied in Italy and South Australia. She is currently executive director of the Alpena Downtown Development Authority.