Harper Woods breaks ground on its first pocket park

HARPER WOODS — Residents of a Harper Woods neighborhood have a new place to relax or gather outside.

City, county and state officials broke ground on a pocket park on Roscommon Street July 30. The $250,000 project is being paid for through a Michigan Economic Development Corporation grant and Public Act 51 funds, and it is Harper Woods’ first pocket park, City Manager John Szymanski said.

With plans to install benches, raised planter boxes and a covered pavilion, the park is intended as a safe, quiet space for the neighborhood, Szymanski said.

“What a wonderful day in Harper Woods this has been,” Mayor Valerie Kindle said. “This has been in the planning for a while and I’m so glad to see it coming to fruition. … I thank (State Sen.) Kevin Hertel for taking the vision we had and running with it.”

Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, was one of the leaders who helped secure state funding for what is being called Roscommon Pocket Park.

“We wanted to make sure we were using those (state) dollars for transformational projects,’ Hertel said.

State Rep. Veronica Paiz, D-Harper Woods, has lived in the city for 26 years.

“It’s a real investment in the community,” Paiz said. “I just love to see great developments here.”

Officials gathered input from the neighborhood as part of the planning process, said Ty Hinton, the city’s director of economic and community development.

“It’s been a pleasure walking up and down this street and getting to know the neighbors,” said Irma Hayes, the city’s deputy director of economic and community development.

While some neighbors were skeptical about the proposal at first, most have come to embrace the project. Residents see it as a way to connect with their neighbors and build a sense of community that they hope will encourage the next generation to buy homes in Harper Woods.

“This is a wonderful thing for the community,” said Harper Woods resident Johnetta Tabron, who also serves on the Harper Woods Board of Education. “I like socializing. I like talking to people. I’ll talk to anybody. I’ll be here a lot.”

Her husband, a fellow Harper Woods Board of Education member, agreed.

“This is definitely a positive thing happening in our community,” Reggie Tabron said. “We encourage all of our neighbors to come in here and enjoy the park.”

A French drain is being added at the back of the property to improve drainage for neighbors whose backyards abut the park, Szymanski said. He said the neighbors currently get flooding from rain and ice in winter, which the drain should address.

Some nearby residents said they hope the park reduces speeding.

Szymanski said they’re going to install “traffic-calming devices,” including a median, for that purpose.

“Hopefully nobody’s going to be barreling through here, and if they do, they’re going to get met by a police car,” Szymanski said.

Szymanski said the city-owned parcel once contained two homes but has been vacant for at least 15 years. It’s about 12,000 square feet, officials said.

“I’m glad to see this green space put to good use,” Harper Woods City Councilman Tom Jenny said. “It’s going to be great for the neighborhood and great for the community.”

There won’t be any play equipment, although Szymanski said the city is looking at possibly having art in the park. He said the purpose of the park is mostly for people to sit and talk.

Work on the park is expected to be completed in spring 2026, with a grand opening slated for the summer of 2026.

“I think we’re all going to be pleased when it’s done,” Harper Woods City Councilwoman Vivian Sawicki said. “I think it’s going to be a wonderful space.”