Pathway to Play and Preservation

FINALIZED SINGLE LOGO-3-02From the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot, the voter-approved Pathway to Play and Preservation project focuses on creating and maintaining pathways and walkways, preserving open space, reforesting the community, and enhancing parks.

Building on the success of the Visioning 2030 strategic plan, city leadership initiated Visioning 2040, engaging residents and businesses to frame a clear vision and guiding principles for the future. The Visioning 2040 plan includes initiatives to maintain Sterling Heights as a vibrant, safe, and sustainable community, detailed further in the City Magazine.

The Sterling Heights Pathway to Play and Preservation project includes the following improvements:

  • Preserve greenspaces that can be untouched and/or dedicated to public recreation.
  • Reforest the City’s tree canopy that was decimated by the Emerald Ash Borer infestation and provide beauty, traffic calming, a cooling factor and natural air purification to our community.
  • Create a dedicated funding source for sidewalk completion and maintenance, eliminating sidewalk special assessments.
  • Develop a natural hike/bike trail giving residents access to the Sterling Heights Nature Preserve’s old growth forest for the first time.
  • A newly developed Red Run Park serving as a flagship park, in the southern portion of the City, will include a dog park, pickleball courts, bike/hike trail and 24-hour satellite public library.
  • Meet resident demand for a new indoor pickleball complex.
  • Reimagination of Rotary Park and Belvedere Park featuring a canoe/kayak livery and boardwalk along the Clinton River.

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Street Trees

Residential Street Trees

The City of Sterling Heights is bringing greener streets to neighborhoods near you! In an effort to reforest the city’s tree canopy, the City is planting trees to create tree-lined streets, provide natural air conditioning, and enhance the beauty of local neighborhoods. If you received a door hanger, it means a tree has been—or will soon be—planted in front of your home or business. This exciting initiative will continue over the next six years, helping Sterling Heights grow a healthier, more vibrant community.

Pickleball Facility Rendering

Pickleball Facility

The City of Sterling Heights has approved a site for its new indoor pickleball facility, marking a major milestone in the implementation of the Pathway to Play and Preservation millage.

The site at 35630 Van Dyke Avenue, near 15 Mile Road, will be transformed into a state-of-the-art pickleball facility. The $10 million investment—covering both the property purchase and construction—will establish the first municipally funded indoor pickleball facility in Macomb County and only the second in the state of Michigan.

“This is one of the most anticipated projects we’ve undertaken since Recreating Recreation,” said Parks and Recreation Director Kyle Langlois. “The community has been eager to learn where this facility would be located, and this site gives us the opportunity to deliver a premier space that combines accessibility, sustainability and quality. We are excited to move this vision forward.”

The facility is planned to feature nine official pickleball courts (one more than initially promised in the millage), six tournament-ready table tennis courts, gathering areas with café space, a meeting and party room, locker rooms, and unique amenities such as a zen room and nursing mother’s room.

Project Renderings24 Hour Library

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Pathway to Play and Preservation benefit me financially?

The Pathway to Play and Preservation project will fund major quality of life projects like development of trails, sidewalk completions and repairs, park improvements, enhancements to and preservation of natural areas, tree plantings and more. These projects are proven to increase property values and lower heating and cooling costs for residents. In addition, this initiative will create a dedicated funding source for sidewalk repair throughout the city, eliminating the need for any special assessments to homeowners who may have necessary sidewalk replacement or repair.

How do Sterling Heights taxes compare to other communities?  

Sterling Heights will continue to have one of the lowest tax rates statewide. In fact, the City will continue to rank in the bottom half of all cities statewide in terms of having the lowest tax rate.  In addition, Sterling Heights will continue to have the lowest tax rate of any full-service city in Macomb County.

How does the Pathway to Play and Preservation project ensure preservation of green spaces?  

Property owners have the right to use their property to its highest and best use, subject to compliance with applicable provisions of the zoning ordinance. This is consistent across communities in the country. The U.S. is known for having strong land use laws that, in almost all cases, favor the property owner. The Pathway to Play and Preservation project includes funding to create a land bank, allowing the City Council, with community engagement, to determine the best properties to purchase and preserve as open space. Once these properties are acquired, the City would place conservation easements on them, protecting them as open space in perpetuity.  Unfortunately, the City currently do not have the funding available to purchase properties, and unless the City owns the property, we cannot protect it from development. The project would dedicate almost $18.2 million for land acquisition.

PPP Calculator

Find my cost to add Pathways to Play and Preservation

Click on the button to the left to see how much of your tax bill would support expanding and improving pathways, preserving our green spaces, and creating new ways to play.