A Warren native returns to his hometown to announce plans to potentially move his California-based business into the former Packard Delphi plant.

Creator of Auto parkit, Christopher Alan, says he could eventually park his headquarters on Dana Street, but the plant must first be brought up to code.

"The facility is in dire need of renovation," Alan said.

Securing the former plant in a lease during escrow deal was the first step. Alan says he has plans to use the facility as storage while he works with the Western Reserve Port Authority and state agencies.

Environmental abatements and bringing back the railway are a must for Auto parkit to move in. Alan says he'll need the former railway to be reinstalled so he could eventually ship manufactured products to other parts of the country and overseas.

The company would start with 250 to 300 jobs within the first few years with an initial focus on distribution.

"Over the next 10 years, we would like to bring all of our international design and engineering and support center here as well as our manufacturing," Alan said.

His 10 year plan anticipates creating 800 to 1,000 jobs, including jobs in manufacturing.

For decades the former Delphi Packard plant was an anchor amid a bustling industrial sector in the city, drawing hundreds of workers.

Instead of letting the plant and industrial remnants of Warren's past rust away, Alan want to recruit the talent that once made city what it was known for.

"We have all of that, now it's time to lift it and take it into the 21st century and the tech age," he said.

If Warren becomes Auto Parkit's homebase, Alan says the suppliers could follow.

Auto parkit is a hydraulic system that mechanically stores vehicles to maximize space. Alan, a Los Angeles real estate developer, came up with the idea to solve a parking dilemma. He was building a condo in California, that required several parking spaces to fulfill zoning requirements.