DETROIT, MI - It wasn't easy, but the Detroit City Council got it done.

Tuesday's unanimous decision from the City Council to approve zoning changes for the planned $650 million Detroit Red Wings arena and entertainment district was months in the making.

Approval came with a few disclaimers.

Though all council members present (councilman Scott Benson was absent) voted in favor of rezoning the 12-acre, nearly-vacant plot of land in Detroit's Cass Corridor, a few voiced concerns before the votes were cast.

Council president Brenda Jones last week sparred with Olympia Development of Michigan, the developers of the arena and entertainment district, over jobs for Detroit residents and the Hotel Park Avenue and Eddystone Hotel.

While the city's legal department and Olympia nailed down the language surrounding the two hotels, job assurances weren't put in writing Tuesday.

In regards to the two hotels, which have been one of the main speed bumps in negotiations since November, the city's legal representative said he believed the agreement was about as air-tight as it could get.

"I'm very satisfied that it's bulletproof," Detroit Corporation Counsel Melvin Butch Hollowell told the council Tuesday. "That is as strong (of) language that you can get."

Olympia will be held to redeveloping the Eddystone if they want to demolish the Park Avenue.

Language in the plans approved Tuesday would allow the City of Detroit to take legal action against Olympia if their end of the redevelopment isn't upheld, which would force them to hold their word.

Essentially, the city wanted a guarantee that the Eddystone would be transitioned into an 80- to 100-unit mixed-use residential building. Olympia will be able to tear down the Hotel Park Avenue next door to make way for an underground loading dock and piazza area.

Both moves require further approval from the Downtown Development Authority and Historic District Commission, but the vote was pushed back last week because the city wanted to make sure Olympia couldn't shirk the promised redevelopment.

Olympia has also said that 20 percent of the units in the Eddystone will qualify as affordable housing. The developer has a "goal" that 20 percent of the housing established in the 45-block district planned for the rest of Cass Corridor will be affordable units, too.

While the City Council seemed satisfied with the Eddystone agreement, there was some trepidation about how jobs would be filled after construction on the arena is finished in two years.

Olympia has promised that 51 percent of the construction work on the site will be done by Detroiters.

According to Olympia, the project will have an economic impact of at least $1.8 billion, while creating thousands of jobs, some of which will be permanent.

Olympia has said the arena will create 8,300 construction and related jobs, in addition to 1,100 permanent jobs.

Detroit-based businesses have already won $25 million of the first $30 million in contracts on the arena.

But multiple council members, including President Brenda Jones, voiced concern for what comes next.

Councilman Andre Spivey said that while he supports the arena -- ultimately voting to pass the rezoning -- he wished there was a clause in the plans that would promise a portion of the jobs at the $450 million arena to Detroit residents.

"I just think it would have been a great catalyst for ODM" to get those job assurances in writing," he said.

That said, Spivey said Detroit residents do need to be prepared for the jobs that will be made available to them.

While the arena won't eliminate unemployment in Detroit, it will bring jobs, "and people deserve to have a job," Spivey said.

Council President Jones said she will press Olympia to keep their word, even if they never signed a document stating they'd employ Detroiters.

"I am going to continue to hold ODM to their word that they gave," she said.

"I will continue to hold you to that word even if I'm not on council."

The entire council said they did want to see the $450 million arena and $200 million entertainment district built, though.

They were upset with media reports that blamed the delayed approval on the Detroit City Council. According to the council, it was Olympia that wasn't turning in documents as requested by the city.

The delays couldn't all be placed on the City Council.

Councilman Gabe Leland commended his colleagues and all involved before the vote of approval Tuesday.

He said that while governments cannot create jobs for residents, the council can create a platform through the approved development through which jobs will come.

Olympia can be connected with the community through the outreach events, many of which have already been held

"Let's not lose sight of that," Leland said.

Leland also said the City Council did make a big accomplishment in preserving the Eddystone Hotel by asking that the language be air-tight before approval.

"We have made some accomplishments here," he said. "Nobody can come back five years from now and say 'I told you so.'

A project of this size has never before been brought before the City Council, Leland said.

Tuesday's approval will allow vertical construction on a two and a half year build out to begin.

Olympia wants the arena finished by the 2017 NHL season.

The 785,000-square-foot, 20,000-seat arena will sit on a plot of land along Woodward Avenue just north of downtown Detroit, and will be accompanied by a 45-block entertainment district.

The entertainment district will include four- and five-story mixed-use development properties, built at the same time as the 20,000 seat arena.

The $650 million development is to be funded with a mix of $365.5 million in private investment and an estimated public investment of $284.5 million.

The plans approved Tuesday also call for more green space on the site, bike lanes along Cass Avenue, office space, residential units, a park, restaurants and retail space.

Ultimately, the project will redevelop a large plot of vacant lots that lie between Detroit's downtown and midtown neighborhoods, much of which Olympia has owned for a number of years.

The Downtown Development Authority will also vote on the plans Wednesday at 3 p.m.

On Tuesday, Olympia had already started demolishing some of the smaller buildings on the site just north of I-75 and downtown Detroit.

Ian Thibodeau is the business and development reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. He can be reached at ithibode@mlive.com, or follow him on Twitter.