Sterling Heights plans flagship park with first municipally run pickleball center

Sterling Heights is putting six illuminated pickleball courts at the center of Red Run Park, a move that could extend play well past daylight and give after-work players a new place to get on court in a growing Metro Detroit market.

The park is being developed on a 15-acre undeveloped parcel near Moravian Drive and Red Run Road, close to 14 Mile Road and Schoenherr Road, and the city said it will be built in phases. Along with the pickleball complex, the plan includes a dog park, a basketball court, a non-motorized path, heated restrooms and other neighborhood amenities, giving the site a year-round role instead of a single-use recreation footprint.

The project is tied to the Pathway to Play & Preservation millage approved by voters on the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot. City officials said Sterling Heights purchased the property for $2.5 million, while planned interior and exterior renovations for the broader pickleball facility are budgeted not to exceed $7.5 million. That approach, transforming an existing site rather than starting from scratch, was presented as both a sustainability play and a fiscally responsible one.

City officials have also described the facility as the first municipally operated pickleball center in Metro Detroit, a notable distinction in a sport that has been racing from neighborhood courts to larger destination-style venues. For players, the value is obvious: more dedicated court space in a region where demand has been catching up with supply. For the city, it signals that pickleball has moved from an amenity to a planning priority.

The Sterling Heights City Council approved a $4.7 million construction bid on April 7, 2026, and officials expect work to be completed in November 2026. The project had already received nearly $470,000 in February for a custom ready-to-assemble restroom facility, underscoring how heavily the city is leaning into comfort and longer stays at the park.

Parks and Recreation Director Kyle Langlois said the park will do more than serve the surrounding neighborhood and could draw visitors from across the region. City leaders have also discussed future additions such as a pedestrian bridge over the Red Run connecting Red Run Park with Baumgartner Park, along with a nature observation deck. During the April 7 council discussion, Councilman Henry Yanez raised transparency concerns tied to a $2,000 campaign contribution connected to a firm involved in reviewing bids, adding a sharper edge to an otherwise ambitious parks conversation.

Red Run Park now stands as one of Sterling Heights’ clearest signals that pickleball belongs in the city’s long-term parks strategy, not just as a court add-on but as a central piece of how the community plans to play.