Sterling Heights City Council has approved a plan to expand Rotary Park into a 60-acre recreation destination along the Clinton River, acquiring the Clinton River Canoe and Kayak property to link it with the existing park and the historic ruins of Belvidere Park. The purchase agreement covers both the land and the existing canoe and kayak business assets, and city officials say construction is scheduled to start in spring 2027, with the finished destination planned to open in spring 2028.
According to MLive, the Clinton River Canoe and Kayak property is currently owned by JER Enterprises LLC and Outdoor Escorts LLC, and the acquisition has been in development since 2022. The city secured a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant to help offset the purchase cost, tapping into a fund that, per the State of Michigan, recommended $45 million in grant awards for 75 outdoor recreation projects statewide in December 2025 out of 100 competing applications requesting more than $56.6 million. Sterling Heights first moved to pursue that funding path in March 2023, when the city council voted unanimously to apply for state grant money to acquire 3.5 acres at 37328 and 37356 Utica Road adjacent to Rotary Park, according to C & G Newspapers.
Local voters approved the 15-year, 0.95-mill Pathway to Play and Preservation millage in November 2024 by a narrow 30,439-to-29,724 margin, providing additional funding for the acquisition. That property tax increase costs the average Sterling Heights homeowner about $95 annually and maintains the city's overall millage rate at 17.53 mills for the current fiscal year, with officials noting it keeps Sterling Heights among the lowest municipal tax rates in Macomb County.
A Long-Awaited Fix for the Eastern Side of Town
Councilman Radkkey said the expansion represents a significant recreational opportunity for eastern Sterling Heights, an area that has historically lacked large park spaces, per the MLive report. Rotary Park sits at the eastern gateway to Sterling Heights' stretch of the 83-mile Clinton River water trail, which runs from Oakland County through Macomb County before reaching Lake St. Clair, according to C & G Newspapers.
Once complete, the acquisition will create a contiguous green space dedicated to outdoor public recreation, and the land must be preserved for that purpose in perpetuity. Pre-election municipal planning estimates prepared for the 2024 millage campaign had budgeted the full Rotary Park and Belvidere Park transformation at $11.8 million, covering a canoe and kayak livery, soccer fields, a basketball court, a boardwalk, and historical tributes, the same outlet reported.
Environmental Deadline Looms Over the Purchase
The city completed a Phase One environmental study on the property, and state records show an open underground storage tank leak on the site. A Phase Two environmental study will be conducted during the formal engineering and design process, the MLive report notes.
Sarah Fischer, who works for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, urged the city to complete a Baseline Environmental Assessment within 45 days of the purchase. Under Part 201 of Michigan's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, a new property owner can gain liability protection against pre-existing contamination if that assessment is finished within 45 days and submitted to the state within six months, according to background compiled by A3E. Sterling Heights has since completed its Baseline Environmental Assessment, the MLive report states, a step meant to shield municipal taxpayers from inheriting cleanup liability tied to the legacy fuel leak.
What the Design Includes
The conceptual plan includes a pavilion for canoe and kayak rentals, a basketball court, accessible restrooms, and a new parking lot, with the existing parking lot and playground remaining on the eastern end of the property. Sterling Heights plans to establish a full-scale kayak livery for residents as part of the project, and the design features a path and boardwalk leading to the ruins of historic Belvidere Park, which has received a Michigan Historical Landmark designation and is a Prohibition-era site.
Councilwoman Sarowski praised the inclusion of a circular drop-off area in the plan, addressing a practical complaint from paddlers: kayakers currently haul their boats a long distance from the existing parking lot to the water, per MLive's account. The city is now in the design phase and expects to solicit construction bids over the winter.
Part of a Bigger Citywide Push
The Rotary Park project builds on work Sterling Heights had already done along the waterway. In earlier Hoodline reporting, the city had equipped Rotary Park and North Clinton River Park with ADA-exceeding EZDock universal kayak and canoe launch systems, part of a broader standard that all newly developed municipal parks in Sterling Heights be built to ADA-accessible specifications. Hoodline also covered the city's earlier push for public input, when a February hearing gathered resident feedback on acquiring 13.75 acres at 37217 Utica Road near Rotary Park, including roughly 1,000 feet of frontage along Utica Road, with the state grant application built around a 30% local funding match.
The Pathway to Play and Preservation millage is simultaneously funding other major recreation projects across the city, including a new Red Run Park that broke ground in May 2026 and a $10 million indoor pickleball complex on Van Dyke Avenue, according to the City of Sterling Heights. Those projects, along with the Rotary Park expansion, fall under the city's $92 million bond framework tied to its Visioning 2040 master plan, with Rotary Park representing one of seven major investment categories in that package.
