For most of the 20th century, the behemoth cement plant south of Petoskey was an economic driver that offered well-paying jobs for generations of workers.
After the plant closed in 1980, the property sat idle for years and went into decay, coughing up powdery kiln dust and oozing leachate into the bay.
Many saw the parcel’s development potential with its five miles of shoreline on Little Traverse Bay, beautiful views and easy access to Petoskey.
But what would a developer do about that cement plant and those millions of tons of cement kiln dust laying around in piles?
Proposals came and went until 1994, when luxury community developer David Johnson stepped up to reclaim the former Penn-Dixie property.
Johnson wanted to build a super-luxury resort with a town center, conference facilities, marina, equestrian center, and a golf course that would be open to the public.
Two decades later, here is the story of how that vision became the $1 billion development, as told by the people who made it happen.
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