Belle Isle seeks community feedback on 11 potential investments; public survey open through Labor Day

Want to help shape future investments at Belle Isle Park? The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Belle Isle Conservancy are asking for input on 11 potential investments designed to significantly enhance enjoyment of Belle Isle Park in Detroit.

Visitors, community members, stakeholders and others interested in this beloved park are encouraged to learn more and rank 11 potential large-scale projects. Links to both the project page and online public survey are available at Michigan.gov/BelleIsle, and the survey is open through Labor Day weekend.

This public feedback is a key component of the development of a new Belle Isle strategic development plan, which builds upon the 2018 Belle Isle Park Strategic Management Plan.

The projects

The 11 potential projects up for review include:

• 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.

This summerlong community outreach effort also includes an on-the-ground team of staff and volunteers who will gather feedback at the park and at various community events throughout Detroit.

The strategic development plan team created this list of projects by evaluating park buildings and spaces, reviewing public comments during the recent multimodal study and consulting with staff. Since these are significant undertakings, moving forward on any of them likely would require a strategic funding approach, including philanthropic partnerships.

Critical ongoing efforts, such as opening 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.

"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.

The final recommendations will be shared with the community in early 2026.

"We’re looking forward to hearing from people all across the city of Detroit and beyond about how we can make this treasured destination better for everyone," said Tom Bissett, urban district supervisor for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division.

For more information, contact Amanda Treadwell at TreadwellA@Michigan.gov or 313-269-7430.

Accompanying photos are available below for download. 

• DIA: Attendees at the July 20 Detroit Institute of Arts Concert of Colors rank the potential Belle Isle investment projects.
• Cullen Plaza: A Detroit Riverwalk attendee at Cullen Plaza in early August views the 11 Belle Isle project options. 
• DIA mom and daughter: Mom and daughter at the July 20 Detroit Institute of Arts Concert of Color rank 11 Belle Isle projects.
• Project cards: A graphic showing pictures and brief descriptions of the 11 proposed Belle Isle investment projects.