TRAVERSE CITY — The City Commission will be asked at their September 15 meeting to give the green light to a list of proposed park projects, if a ballot proposal is approved in November.
Traverse City voters will decide if the city can use $3 million from the Brown Bridge Trust Fund for city park capital improvements between November 2025 and November 2030. The money could be used for greater accessibility and also the acquisition of property to be designated as parkland.
Using community input from surveys, the Brown Bridge Trust Fund Ad Hoc committee has come up with a priority list for city park improvements. Here is that list, which the committee says is in random order and not (necessarily) order of priority:
Investments
- Lake Shore Stabilization: beach access, water quality, erosion
- Brown Bridge Quiet Area: Trail and trailhead development for recent land acquisition
- Hickory Hills Mountain Bike Trail Design & Development
- Park Essentials: Waste receptacles, picnic tables, benches
- Park Experiences: Playground equipment, sport amenities, interactive features, pavilions, pedestrian scale lighting
- Trees: Increased canopy and shade in parks
- Pickleball & Tennis Court Reconstruction at Slabtown Corners
Access
- Boardman Lake Loop Trail Access
- Bryant Park Access: Improved pedestrian and bicycle access
- ADA Access Improvements
Any money used from the Brown Bridge Trust Fund, that’s not used over the course their 5-year plan, would be returned to the trust fund.
The next Traverse City, City Commission meeting is Monday, September 15, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers on the second floor of the Governmental Center, 400 Boardman Avenue.