City Council OKs MOA amendment with Oakland County, clarifies 2-acre downtown green space and extends campus planning deadline

Pontiac City Council unanimously approved Amendment 2 to the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Oakland County that narrows where the city's promised two-acre public green space will sit and extends the deadline for a campus plan.

The change, approved 7-0 after a special presentation from Oakland County Deputy Executive Sean Carlson and Deputy County Executive Megan Sellers, updates dimension language in the original MOA and formally recognizes two parking decks in the campus plan.

Why it matters: The MOA governs redevelopment of the former Phoenix Center site and surrounding parcels. Council members and county officials said the amendment brings the written agreement into alignment with the development team's site plan and gives the county and city more time to complete an updated campus plan.

County officials said the change does not reduce the city's entitlement of up to two acres of public green space but clarifies exactly which parcel will be used. Carlson told the council, "It always said up to 2 acres in the MOA. We're just clarifying because they had some dimensions there before."

The amendment also replaces an earlier 180-day timetable for producing the campus plan with a new December 31 deadline to accommodate selection of the development team and other timing shifts. Sellers said the longer timeline will allow the county's development team to finish the campus plan: "We needed to get our development team in place. That is part of the amendment as well."

Council members asked for tangible next steps and expressed interest in maximizing local hiring and subcontracting during construction. Deputy Executive Sellers said the county hosted outreach to small-business contractors and scheduled a follow-up outreach event on Oct. 15 to expand subcontractor opportunities for local, minority and veteran firms.

The amendment also reflects a change from one to two parking structures on the campus and includes conceptual renderings shown at the city's planning commission; a south deck will be adjacent to 31 East Judson, with a north deck proposed on Water Street. Carlson said the campus plan includes parcels for future development "for parcels of 1.2 acres there up on Water Street and also that turns around the corner on the West Side of Saginaw."

What the council did: After the presentation and a roll call, the council voted 7-0 to adopt the amendment. Council members asked that updates be shared with the public as details are finalized and requested copies of outreach materials for local businesses.

What remains: The amendment clarifies the green-space parcel and lengthens the planning window but does not commit the city to any specific final development uses. Future phases, site plans and individual projects must still proceed through planning and permitting and, in some cases, voter or council approvals. COUNTY and city officials said additional public engagement and contractor outreach will follow.

The council's approval means the MOA now explicitly describes the two-acre green-space parcel, confirms two parking decks in the campus plan, and extends the campus-plan deadline to Dec. 31.