Oakland Community College outlines campus consolidation and Ilitch family sports partnership

Oakland Community College Chancellor Peter Provenzano told the State of the Cities audience that OCC has grown from roughly 13,000 to 16,000 students in five years and has shifted course delivery to meet student needs, with more than half of classes now delivered online.

Provenzano said OCC is pursuing footprint reductions and facility modernizations to better serve students and manage deferred maintenance. "We're going to move all of our health sciences into a newly renovated space" at the Farmington Hills campus and aim to open that health sciences building for classes in 2027, he said, listing programs such as dental hygiene, diagnostic medical sonography and nursing as central to the consolidation.

Provenzano also described plans to expand emergency-services training with a new indoor tactical training center and a second training location at the Southfield campus, including driving pads and realistic scenario training for police and fire trainees.

A major potential public–private partnership was announced in concept: Provenzano said OCC is studying a proposal with the Ilitch family to build a field house owned and developed by OCC, with the Ilitch family building a three-sheet ice arena attached to the field house, athlete housing, and possibly a hotel and restaurants. The board has approved a predevelopment agreement; OCC plans a public presentation of the site plan and community review with Farmington Hills before any final board agreement. Provenzano said the timeline could include board agreement this fall and, if successful, a 2028 opening for the development.

Why it matters: the partnership could concentrate athletics, training and academic programming on the Farmington Hills campus and create community amenities and housing tied to OCC's Oakland Early College and workforce pathways. Provenzano emphasized synergies between OCC and community partners: "We're talking to parks and rec programs, we're talking to the city of Farmington Hills, senior centers, museums..." he said.

What’s next: OCC will present site-plan work to its board, then to Farmington Hills for public review; details, approvals and financing remain subject to board votes and municipal review.