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Sterling Heights backs MDNR Trust Fund grant to buy 13.7-acre Utica Road parcel for conservation
Summary
Council voted to adopt a resolution supporting a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant application to purchase 37217 Utica Road (about 13.7 acres, including ~2.4 acres of wetlands); staff said the city has a purchase agreement with 6 Rivers Land Conservancy and would use a preservation millage as fallback funding if the grant is not awarded.
Sterling Heights council members voted to support a grant application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to acquire a 13.7-acre parcel at 37217 Utica Road that city staff said is heavily wooded, includes about 2.4 acres of wetlands and is largely constrained by FEMA floodplain.
Parks and Recreation Director Kyle Langloy and consultant Wayne Hoffman (Wade Trim) told the council the site sits between the Clinton River Greenway and the Red Run, offering a strategic opportunity to connect existing city-owned open space. Hoffman said the parcel is currently owned by 6 Rivers Land Conservancy and that the city has an approved purchase agreement and an appraisal in hand.
The Natural Resources Trust Fund is a competitive program funded by state oil-and-gas-lease revenue. Hoffman said the minimum match is 25% but that the city will propose a 30% match to strengthen its application; grant awards are recommended by the Natural Resources Board and typically enter the legislative appropriations process in the fall and following year. Staff said grant-eligible costs include a phase-1 environmental review and typically a phase-2 if needed.
During public comment, resident Ken Nelson asked how FEMA floodplain and wetland constraints limit future use; staff said those constraints make the parcel well-suited for conservation, that the grant would lock the property into public outdoor recreation in perpetuity if awarded, and that the Pathway preservation millage funding is the fallback if the grant is not received.
Councilmember (speaker 13) moved adoption of a resolution supporting the application; the motion was supported and approved by voice vote.
