Sterling Heights celebrated the completion of two corridor-enhancement projects along Van Dyke Road with ribbon-cutting ceremonies on Monday, pairing refreshed public art at Van Dyke and 18 Mile Road with a new green space expansion near Ford's powertrain plant. The projects pair environmental sustainability efforts with public art along Van Dyke Road.
The celebration, reported by MLive, centered on refreshed artwork on the Van Dyke monument markers at 15, 16, 17 and 18 Mile roads. The markers now feature refreshed public art, gateway signage and messages from the city's Look No Further campaign, featuring phrases like build your business, rooted in family, cultivate community and explore the outdoors. That branding campaign dates back to February 2024, when Sterling Heights launched it through a $250,000 contract with Identity Marketing & Public Relations approved in May 2023, according to C & G Newspapers.
Mayor Pro Tem Liz Sierawski said the projects reflect partnerships helping Sterling Heights grow as a vibrant, welcoming and sustainable community, per the same account. She said the work includes investment in green space and tree canopy alongside art in visible gateways, and the city noted that green space expansion brings benefits such as improved air quality, enhanced stormwater management, additional shade and a more inviting environment.
Ford's Powertrain Plant Backs a Green Space Push
Just down the road, the Ford Motor Company Inspiring Green Project is expanding green space near 18½ Mile Road and Van Dyke Road, adjacent to Ford's Van Dyke Powertrain plant. The report describes it as a public-private partnership supporting the city's efforts to grow tree canopy and strengthen environmental resilience. Ford Van Dyke Powertrain Plant Manager Diogo Batista Andreis and Ford Environmental Control Engineer Audrey Joslin joined city leaders and members of the Sterling Heights Sustainability Commission at the celebration.
Ford spokesperson Gabby Bruno said Ford is proud to work with Sterling Heights to make the community greener and more beautiful, the outlet reports. Bruno added that the sponsorship was championed by one of Ford's own plant employees, and that the employee-led effort showed that big things grow when people plant seeds in their own backyard. Ford operates the Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center at 41111 Van Dyke Avenue and ranks among Sterling Heights' top employers, with roughly 3,600 workers across its local powertrain and axle manufacturing facilities, according to the City of Sterling Heights. Ford's industrial footprint in the area has drawn fresh scrutiny this month after a local supplier announced it would shut down and lay off 156 workers once Ford pulled its business.
A Corridor Built for Tree Canopy Recovery
The timing fits a broader push to rebuild Sterling Heights' tree cover. City planning reports in 2024 found the city's tree canopy coverage at roughly 18% to 19%, below a 40% state or regional goal, a deficit largely blamed on widespread tree loss during the early 2000s emerald ash borer infestation, according to Metromode. Prior to recent reforestation efforts, roughly 36% of single-family homes in the city lacked street trees entirely, the outlet reported.
To close that gap, Sterling Heights voters approved the 0.95-mill Pathway to Play and Preservation millage in November 2024, creating dedicated tax funding for right-of-way tree plantings and green infrastructure projects tied to the city's Visioning 2040 strategic plan. The city's forestry efforts included a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service Urban and Community Forest Program and $546,295 in city funds, per municipal records.
Monument Markers and a Growing Public Art Collection
The Van Dyke monument marker project was completed in partnership with ASI Signage Innovations, whose executive account manager, Gary Ellis, joined Arts Commissioner Jessica Conti at the marker ribbon-cutting. A photograph from the ceremony also identified Councilwoman Maria Schmidt, Councilman Rob Mijac, Councilwoman Barb Ziarko, Mayor Pro Tem Liz Sierawski, Assistant City Manager Dale Dwojakowski, Councilman Mike Radtke, Sustainability Commissioner Matthew Smith and Sustainability Commission Chair Sarah Fisher among those present.
The gateway markers add to a growing public art footprint along the corridor. Sterling Heights budgeted more than $350,000 for public art across two fiscal years and officials were on track to approve another $140,000 for fiscal year 2026-27 to carry out master plan art directives, C & G Newspapers reported, with the city now maintaining more than 40 public art pieces across municipal grounds and corridor gateways.
The Van Dyke projects echo other green space moves across the city, including a 100-acre habitat-restoration effort associated with the Sterling Relief Drain and the voter-approved program. MLive's Express Desk, which used AI tools with staff review and editing in producing its report, noted that the Van Dyke ceremonies mark the latest step in a citywide push to pair corridor beautification with environmental investment.
