Local leaders celebrate continuing revitalization in downtown Pontiac
Posted By: Oakland Press on April 29, 2026. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
County and state representatives gathered on the site of what used to be the Phoenix Center to acknowledge the continuing work to reshape the future of downtown Pontiac.
On Tuesday afternoon, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, Oakland County Commission Chairman Dave Woodward, Pontiac Mayor Mike McGuiness, Pontiac city council members, Granger Construction Project Executive Ben Schneider and others came together to mark two milestones for the city.
The placement of a new exterior panel on the 31 E. Judson St. building, which will house 700 county employees, and the start of ground preparation for two new parking decks on the former Phoenix Center site.
“This (location) is the crossroads for not only Pontiac and Oakland County, but for our region and this feels like a project that is worthy of that history, that is worthy of the people that are our strength, our greatest resource for Pontiac,” said McGuiness.
Construction crews have begun installing the new facade on the Judson building, with exterior work set to begin next month. Interior improvements and a building addition will follow this summer. The project is on track for phased occupancy between September and November 2027.
“I am excited for this project. I am excited for the new and modernized downtown and I am excited to show what we have here in Pontiac,” said Angela Powell, county commissioner from Pontiac.
“This isn’t just an office building that is going to bring hundreds of county employees to be in downtown Pontiac, this is a catalyst for the economic change that is happening in downtown Pontiac,” said Woodward. “We are building a project that is more than a building, it is about building the future. It is about revitalizing the city and how this project is the way we do things going forward.”
Preparation is underway for two new parking structures adjacent to the Judson building, formerly built by General Motors. Ground preparation for the south deck begins this month, with completion targeted for mid-2027. Work on the north deck is expected to be completed in late 2027.
“They may not be the sexiest things in the world, but that is what is going to make this project work,” said Coulter. “These are visual, tangible signs that progress is underway.”
The full project is backed by a $174.5 million investment budgeted and approved by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners in 2025, including $50 million in support from the State of Michigan.
Coulter said the project is on schedule and on budget.
He added there could be $80 million in cost avoidance over the next ten years from the sale of other county owned buildings as employees are consolidated into the Judson building.
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