Dearborn Breaks Ground On First Of Three New Parks

DEARBORN, MI — Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud and other officials broke ground on the first of three state-of-the-art pocket parks planned in Dearborn.

The downtown west Dearborn Park Equity and Access for Civil Engagement (PEACE) Project Park is the first of three pocket parks that will be constructed using competitive and formula grants awarded to the City, totaling over $32 million, officials said.

"There’s no single issue that green spaces cannot resolve, whether it’s flooding and green infrastructure or creating communal spaces," Hammoud said. "Green spaces provide room to come together, to have an exchange of culture, create micro economies that will allow entrepreneurs to flourish, and to be a catalyst for the future movement in the city."

In addition to the west Dearborn park, crews will also build parks in east and south Dearborn, officials said.

The new parks will include the installation of sustainable landscaping features including rain gardens and permeable surface, officials said.

The parks will also serve as an economic engine for local businesses, with the inclusion of a permanent farmers market pavilion and market pop-up spaces for vendor rentals, officials said.

The construction and first five years of maintenance of all three PEACE Parks will be paid for using combined grant awards, including funds provided by Wayne County, officials said.

"A lesson we learned during COVID was that there weren’t enough park spaces," Deputy Wayne County Executive Assad Turfe said. [The PEACE Parks present] the opportunity not just to create a space for residents and community members to gather, but to enjoy doing so outdoors."