The Sterling Heights Parks & Recreation Department will host a community listening and feedback session concerning their new pickleball facility on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at the Community Center.
The event will be held 4:30-6 p.m. to help residents learn more about the center and provide input on amenities and design ideas, according to recreation officials.
The state-of-the-art, $10 million complex was included as part of the city’s “Pathway to Play and Preservation” millage, which voters approved last November. It will be constructed in vacant building on Van Dyke Avenue, north of 15 Mile Road in the MJR Marketplace Cinema parking lot.
Plans call the city to purchase property at 35630 Van Dyke Ave., which would be transformed into indoor pickleball courts. The $10 million cost covers both the property purchase and construction and would establish the first municipally-funded indoor pickleball facility in Macomb County and only the second in the state of Michigan.
Officials say the courts appeal to a broad range of residents of all ages without expensive upkeep or equipment. Municipally-owned courts are also a cheaper option than forcing residents to join private club.
The Sterling Heights pickleball center would contain nine pickleball courts, six tournament-ready table tennis courts, and community gathering spaces, according to city council agenda materials. It will also have restrooms, locker rooms, a nursing mothers’ room and a zen meditation room, which is a space where community members can take a break from pickleball and pray or meditate.
Drop-in pickleball and table tennis play will be free for residents, Langlois said, while programs, leagues, tournaments or court rentals will have what he called a modest fee.
Opening is planned for July 2026.
The listening session is free to attend at the Community Center, 40250 Dodge Park Road (at Utica Road).
