Should Port Huron sell the Municipal Office Center? Here's what to know

PORT HURON — City residents will decide the fate of the massive Municipal Office Center property during a special May 2 election.

The ballot language asks voters whether City Council members should be able to sell the multi-story structure, which is perched at 100 McMorran Blvd. on the St. Clair River, through December 2025.

A public vote is required under Port Huron’s charter before the city can sell, lease, develop, or dispose of any waterfront property.

In addition to the MOC question, voters also will be asked to renew the city's public safety and parks and recreation taxes on May 2. According to the city clerk’s office, 1,969 absentee ballots were first sent out on Friday, so some may be through voting in a matter of days.

All ballot language and registration information can be confirmed through Michigan.gov/vote. Learn more about requesting a local absentee ballot or your polling station at PortHuron.org.

Why sell the MOC?

Port Huron officials have long discussed unloading the city's 45-year-old, 112,800-square-foot office center, citing a shrinking need for the space and occasional inquiries from developers or investors. Some office space is currently occupied by Michigan Works! and the Economic Development Alliance of St. Clair County, which is slated to begin the build of its own building later this year.

The city first listed the property through Kramer Commercial Realty with a listing price of $5 million in late 2021.

Under the ballot language, city officials must approve a sale of $1 million or more.

Officials have also said the MOC was beginning to show its age.

If voters reject the MOC question on May 2, City Manager James Freed said officials will have to decide what to do about the deteriorating building.

“There’s several million dollars of capital and maintenance that have to happen, so we’ll be forced probably to borrow for those repairs,” he said last week. “In fact, it’s $3 million for the structure itself, including the underground storage and parking, which has to be fixed because that’s what the building is built upon.”

Who's interested in Port Huron's MOC?

Many of the names who’ve inquired about the MOC in years past may be familiar to residents, including the former developer of the St. Clair Inn and Gerry Kramer of the titular realty firm.

Last fall, however, developer Larry Jones pitched his own mixed-use vision to revitalize the property.

His proposal included a massive remodel to build 50 condos, a rooftop bar and restaurant, and maintaining public access to the site for its views. At the time, Jones, known for his downtown loft developments and the soon-to-be-opened Wrigley Center, estimated it was an investment of $11 million to $12 million.

Broker Korissa Kramer said there’s been “more interest or awareness that the city was looking to the public” to sell its property, though nothing serious so far.

“We’ve had inquiries and we’ve had calls, and we’ve sent out other marketing packages just with information on the property,” she said. “But no other offers or anything like that have been made.”

There is no developer named in the May 2 ballot language. City Council would have to approve any future purchase or developer.

What happens if the MOC is sold?

Port Huron officials have not publicly named any alternative sites for city offices.

“We have no intentions of building a new building,” Freed said. “We believe there’s already existing commercial buildings and other government buildings that we could locate to, and the question becomes if one of those become available. And what is the cost to retrofit them and move city hall into them? And we have several options that we’ve been already looking at.”.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.