Restoration Project 

Rouge River AOC Inkster Park Design

In 2024, the Alliance of Rouge Communities (ARC) secured USEPA GLRI grant funding to design amenities at Inkster Park within the Rouge River Watershed. The focus of the Inkster Park Design project is to use the park areas to connect key neighborhoods and communities with the parks and the habitat being restored under the ARC's Inkster Park Habitat Restoration project. The activities being designed under this project, when constructed, include trails, non-motorized systems, bicycle and pedestrian bridges, kayak launch and portage, fishing access locations, and access boardwalks.

This crucial project is one of several initiatives in which the ARC is collaborating with Wayne County Parks (WCP). Together, they are also advancing the Colonial Park Habitat Restoration, Inkster Park Habitat Restoration, and the Wayne County Parkland - Lower Rouge Reforestation efforts. These combined projects represent a significant opportunity to provide much-needed habitat in the Rouge River watershed, fostering its natural spaces and promoting their long-term success. These efforts align with Wayne County’s community informed Connecting the Rouge Framework to improve access to the Hines Drive trail system, the Lower Rouge River Greenway, and the Rouge River Gateway Greenway.

“It is important to us that these public park spaces reflect the needs and uses desired by the public,” said WCP Landscape Architect, John Gundry. “Input from residents and park users is critical in the planning process. Public input makes our park improvement projects inherently more impactful.”

In addition to the ARC’s Inkster Park Design project, the City of Inkster plans to redevelop its “old city hall” site located at the northeast corner of Inkster Road and Michigan Avenue. In line with the City of Inkster Master Plan, the “old city hall” redevelopment plan seeks to activate the park edge and introduce recreation uses into the space, including proposed shared-use path connections. The public park elements of the Inkster Park Design project would help organically manifest this desired connection between the park edge and the “old city hall” site.