Milan Park in Northwest Detroit shines after more than $700K worth of improvements

Updates include: a second playground, renovations to the soccer field, new combo soccer/football goals, walkways, a softball field, benches, picnic tables, BBQ grills, fitness equipment and a new entrance off Evergreen Road.
Gilbert Family Foundation, Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan and Project EverGreen contributed a total of $300,000; City of Detroit funded $450,000 for the project.
65 new trees were added to the park, thanks to Project EverGreen and The Greening of Detroit.
Three sidewalk murals will be completed in the park by end of June 2025.

The City of Detroit Parks and Recreation Division (DPRD) is excited to announce the completion of major improvements to Milan Park, located in Northwest Detroit near Ralph W. Emerson Elementary School in the Evergreen-Outer Drive neighborhood.

Before this project, Milan Park had a playground, football field, picnic shelters, horseshoe courts and a walking loop. In 2023, with City of Detroit funding secured, park planners engaged with neighborhood residents, families of Emerson students and teachers to gather input on what they wanted to see at Milan Park. The final design plan incorporated the feedback received throughout the project and translated it into a park design that everyone can enjoy.

“The City of Detroit’s investment in this beautiful park highlights our commitment to Detroiters having up to date and safe spaces to play outdoors,” said General Services Department Director, Crystal Perkins. “We hope families in the neighborhood as well as the Emerson School Community can enjoy all that this park now offers.”

Construction for the project began in early 2024. Updates include: a second playground, renovations to the soccer field, new combo soccer/football goals, walkways, a softball field, benches, picnic tables, BBQ grills, fitness equipment and a new entrance off Evergreen Road. The city funded $450,000 for the project and received an additional $300,000 from Project EverGreen, a national nonprofit committed to revitalizing parks and public green spaces, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Gilbert Family Foundation.

Milan Park updates pic2 — Photos of new fitness equipment, second playground and new soccer goals at Milan Park. Photo by City of Detroit, Dante Rionda.

Project EverGreen partnered with The Davey Tree Expert Co. to prune existing trees at the park to improve the health and beauty of the trees as well as funded and planted 35 trees in the park. The Greening of Detroit funded and planted a total of more than 120 trees have been planted in the area of the park; 30 trees in Milan Park, 59 trees at Emerson Elementary-Middle School along the border of Milan Park and four trees in the neighborhood.

The City of Detroit, with the help of several generous sponsors, has renovated more than 200 parks since 2015. In the 2024 fiscal year, 44 parks received major renovations valued at $17 million.

Milan Park updates pic4 — From left to right—Monica Tabares (vice president of The Greening of Detroit), JJ Velez (Gilbert Family Foundation Director of Public Spaces), Cindy Code (Project EverGreen Executive Director), Crystal Perkins ( City of Detroit General Services Director), Lynn McNeal (Community Liaison for Office of City Council President Pro-Tem James Tate) and Steele Hughes (City of Detroit Department of Neighborhoods District 1 Deputy Director) at Milan Park.

“Transformations like these aren’t achieved by one person or group alone, it takes a community effort,” said Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “In Detroit, we’ve seen firsthand how well-maintained parks and recreation spaces can strengthen the social fabric of a community, offering a safe and welcoming environment for people to play, exercise, and connect with neighbors outdoors.”

“Our contribution to the Milan Park improvements underscores our commitment to fostering vibrant, safe and inclusive spaces for Detroiters,” said Laura Grannemann, Executive Director, Gilbert Family Foundation. “Access to public space improves health outcomes and increases social connection for our communities, and we strive to support safe parks and green spaces within a ten-minute walk of every Detroit home.”

Detroit City Walls and Space Lab Detroit commissioned three sidewalk murals across Milan Park. Miranda Kyle, the artist awarded the mural project, is part of the City Walls Blight Abatement Artist Residency Program (BAARP). BAARP Artists and projects are funded through City Walls’ funding. The community selected murals that incorporate lemon trees. Kyle is expected to complete the murals by the end of June.

sidewalk mural

Example of one of three sidewalk murals to be completed in Milan Park.