Bayside Centre negotiations continue as a deadline to finalize a deal is approaching quickly.
Lambton County Council received an update on the corporation's ongoing discussions and negotiations for lease space during an in-camera meeting in Wyoming Wednesday morning.
No details were reported out to the public.
Finance, Facilities and Court Services General Manager John Innes is optimistic they'll be able to meet council's September 30 deadline to close negotiations.
"There has been nothing that has come up that I would consider to be a roadblock to doing so, it's just a matter of getting information, reaching an agreement as to language and the format of what the information will be in when it's presented to council," said Innes.
The agreement is critical to the redevelopment of the Bayside Centre downtown.
Seasons Retirement Communities acquired the old mall in 2017 and announced plans for the $40 million development.
The Oakville-based company said it wanted to renovate the southern block at Cromwell and Vidal streets for commercial use and build a 12-storey residential tower for retirees on the north-west part of the property at George and Vidal streets.
Relocating Lambton Shared Services to the southern block by this Christmas was also proposed.
The city agreed to sell the land underneath the mall to Seasons for $1 million last summer, but an agreement with the county on a new lease for 55,000 square feet of office space is required first.