Oakland County, in partnership with the City of Pontiac, is making a major commitment to the revitalization of the city’s downtown by purchasing two office buildings, several parcels of vacant land, and the Phoenix Center garage and Amphitheater. The County will refurbish the vacant former GM building on East Judson and will move a minimum of 500 employees into the building, returning a portion of the county’s talented workforce to downtown Pontiac after an absence of more than 50 years.

Under an agreement approved by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners and Pontiac City Council and signed by the leaders of those bodies as well as Oakland County Executive David Coulter and Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel, the city will use funds received from the State of Michigan to retire debt related to the Phoenix Center and will convey ownership of the property on which it sits to Oakland County. The county will demolish the Phoenix Center, reopening Saginaw Street through to what is now the south end of the Woodward Loop and creating a much more walkable environment in downtown Pontiac. The County’s plans include construction of a new parking garage for the use of workers in the two office buildings, as well as by residents and people doing business downtown.

Under the agreement, after removing the Phoenix Center, the county has committed to convey a minimum of two acres of land to the City of Pontiac. The city will own this property and will determine how it can be best used for the benefit of its residents.

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Why Now?

This project capitalizes on the convergence of elected leaders with shared priorities: Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter and the County Board of Commissioners’ commitment to support our communities, the City of Pontiac’s revitalization efforts under the leadership of Mayor Tim Greimel and the Pontiac City Council, and Governor Whitmer’s and the Michigan Legislature’s willingness to invest in transformational projects in communities which have historically been left behind.

Other factors that make this the right moment for this transformational investment include:

State and Federal Funding

Thanks to the leadership of State Sen. Jeremy Moss and State Rep. Brenda Carter, the state is contributing $50 million toward the project. Additionally, Oakland County intends to invest $10 million in funds received from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan toward this effort. Other resources are available at the state level, including transformational brownfield redevelopment credits and community revitalization grants and credits, as well as at the federal level through grant programs established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, including the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program.

Avoid Capital Costs

A study conducted for the county by Plante Moran revealed that more than $550 million in critical repairs are needed at buildings on the Oakland County campus in northwest Pontiac and Waterford. By relocating up to 600 employees to downtown Pontiac and consolidating three existing buildings into one, the county will avoid up to $54 million in costs that would have to be done to make current buildings safe and up-to-code for continued occupancy.

Making Transformational Investment in Pontiac

After decades of disinvestment, Pontiac is on the rise. County Executive Coulter and the Board of Commissioners are committed to being partners in the revitalization of the heart of Oakland County's seat and are proud to take advantage of the availability of suitable property, the unique funding available, and the ability to avoid upcoming capital costs on existing county buildings to make this transformational investment.

Two contracts have been awarded to date:

1. Sidewalk Detroit to support Community Engagement efforts.
2. H.E.D., a national firm with offices across the country, including a Michigan office in Royal Oak, as the Project Architect, including internal design and urban planning.

Oakland County residents can visit this page to stay informed and share ideas and feedback about the Downtown Pontiac project with the county.

What's New?

Granger Construction Company joined the team in October 2024.

A Move + Talk event in Pontiac was held Oct. 17, 2024. It allowed city residents to share stories about the Phoenix Center and discuss its upcoming demolition. We also heard from residents, business owners and others about the revitalization of downtown. Stay tuned for the next community event.

A Community Dinner Listening Session was held on Aug. 14, 2024. Pontiac residents participated in group exercises and talked about their vision for the city. Stay tuned for the next community event.

Sidewalk Detroit/AECOM was hired to get feedback from the community to be incorporated into discussions on the development of the project. The groups have been hosting listening sessions to get information that will help. The first-pop up event was held in a park in July 2024.

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