The City of Alma recently received a grant from Michigan's Placemaking and Revitalization (RAP) program to help bring one of their downtown historical buildings back to life.
Once the project is completed the building will hold nine new apartment units as well as a storefront intended for a local business.
The building, which is on East Superior Street, has been vacant since the The Morning Sun newspaper left the space. The upper floor has been vacated for 15 years.
According to City Manager Aeric Ripley, apartments downtown fill up quickly. He expects the same from the new units.
"Having housing in the downtown is important for restaurants and retail, and even those that just work in downtown," Ripley said. "You can just walk to wherever you need to go. That makes it a more economically viable area."
Due to the open plan of the building's upper floor, the work will require all units to be created from the ground up.
"It's a brand new build. All the the nine apartments will be all brand new," Ripley explained. "There's just a wide open space on the 2nd floor that will be the six up there and then the back portion of that building will hold the others."
Additionally, the building's façade will receive a facelift to restore the original masonry and appearance.
