BELLE ISLE, MI — Detroit’s island gem is looking to make even more park improvements in the next decade, but first they want the public’s opinion.
Belle Isle, the 985-acre island park in the Detroit River, recently completed a $10 million renovation to its iconic dome in the turn-of-the-century conservatory.
Now that the Jewel of Detroit is reopened for the public, the Department of Natural Resources is looking to upgrade other areas of the park.
A new strategic development plan is in play for the park, building on the 2018 plan. The DNR and the Belle Isle Conservancy are seeking public input on 11 potential projects.
Visitors, community members, stakeholders and others are encouraged to rank 11 potential large-scale projects for the park. The survey is open through Monday, Sept. 8.
Here’s what’s on the table:
Beach. Extend the beach and renovate the bath house.Boathouse. Restore and reactivate the Belle Isle Boathouse for public use.Park cafe. Create a park cafe at the Belle Isle White House.Canals and trails. Improve access to canals and create trails. Carillon Peace Tower. Renovate the Nancy Brown Carillon Peace Tower.Kids Row. Create a bigger, better Kids Row Playground. Music band shell. Restore and activate the Remick Music Band Shell.Piers and docks. Rebuild piers and docks for fishing and potential ferry service. Sawmill. Create interpretive center at the historic sawmill.Stable yard. Clean up and activate former stable yard.Community and volunteer space. Create community and volunteer space at the historic police headquarters.
The strategic development team created this list of projects by evaluating park buildings and spaces, reviewing public comments during the 2024 multimodal study and consulting with staff, according to a DNR press release.
“This fall, the project team will draft a set of recommendations to improve park resources for the next 10 years based on their research and public input,” said Amanda Treadwell, urban area field planner for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division.
Since these are significant undertakings, moving forward on any of them likely would require a strategic funding approach, including philanthropic partnerships, according to the DNR.
Project addressing new restrooms, slowing vehicle traffic, keeping the bridge open and improving trash pickup are not listed as potential projects because work is already underway to address them, according to the DNR.
Belle Isle was allotted $23 million in American Rescue Plan Act federal relief funds in Aug. 2023, this included the conservatory renovation.
Ongoing ARPA projects include structural stabilization of the memorial foundation, improving wayfinding around the island and replacing the roof on the historic casino.
Michigan’s massive state park overhaul is nearing the finish line. With the December 2026 deadline approaching, the state has completed 73% of its project list.
The DNR started this undertaking in 2022 when the state legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed off on directing $273 million in federal funding to state parks.
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