Following the recession in 2008, many southeastern Michigan communities faced challenges and downturns. More than a decade later, the impacts of the recession lingers on in some of these communities, via lower property values and a loss of population. However, one community was able to pivot and look toward the future. Sterling Heights’ Vision 2030 plan created a series of investments and outreach that has now made Sterling Heights one of the top three cities to live in Macomb County.

Sterling Heights is a relatively young municipal city, like many suburbs in the metro Detroit area, and was incorporated in 1968. Today, with a growing population of more than 133,000 residents, Sterling Heights has established itself as the fourth-largest city in the state. That places it just behind neighboring Warren, which has more than 138,000 residents for the title of Michigan's third largest city.

Sterling Heights' real estate market has remained strong throughout the years. There was a population increase from 2010 to 2020, making it one of the few metro cities in the area to grow in population. Cities like Detroit, Fraser, and Madison Heights all saw declines during the same period.

The median home sale price in the city is $270,000 as of March 2023. That is $100,000 more than Warren and nearly $200,000 more than Detroit. According to Redfin, homes sell, on average, 1 percent below the asking price and within a month of listing – twice as fast as a city like Ann Arbor.

So what makes Sterling Heights unique? They have a vision.

'We just want to make the city work'

"We were at a fork in the road. It was a really important moment," City Manager Mark Vanderpool says about the time leading up to developing Vision 2030. “There was a lot of discussion, and we decided the best thing to do was take this chance to invest in the community."

City Manager Mark Vanderpool (File photo: Joe Powers Insitu Photography)

Vanderpool has been working for the city for 19 years. His more than 36 years of experience in the field has taken him to different points throughout the country. When the opportunity came to work for Sterling Heights, he says he jumped at the chance.

“This is a wonderful city to work for, because everyone is working to make it work. We’re not caught up in politics or opinions – everyone from the Mayor (Michael Taylor), to city council to DPW, we just want to make the city work. It’s about a commitment to excellence,” says Vanderpool.

That commitment led Sterling Heights to create its Vision 2030 plan in 2014. The plan was designed to invest in the city and put it in a better place to recover after the recession ended. The plan was developed around seven guiding principles: Provide safe neighborhoods, create vibrant leisure and recreation experiences, form walking and biking paths, develop private and public focal points in the community, maintain aesthetically pleasing greenspaces, offer unique commerce experiences, and establish a high-tech and emerging industrial sector. 

Pick a point in any news cycle and the city has likely made an announcement of one improvement or another being made as it relates to one of those seven guiding principles. It was just last month when the city announced its Think Sterling Green initiative, a series of sustainability efforts that works to improve the city’s green infrastructure while creating savings opportunities for city residents. That announcement came on the heels of their debuting the new WaterSmart website, which allows residents to save money and conserve water by monitoring their water usage down to the hour.

Vision 2030’s goals created measurable metrics for the city. Sterling Heights’ 2021 residential survey showed that 87 percent of residents were satisfied living in the city. In that same year, they performed a review of the plan and saw that they were falling short on their hiring goals. The city then implemented a leaner hiring process by focusing on the best talent and increasing compensation to increase recruitment.

When the city needed to raise funds for projects, they were able to use the plan to present direct cause-and-effect examples to residents.

"We put the issues on the ballot and let the people decide. It was an investment of about $50 million. We made it clear what they were getting and how we were going to do it. I really credit our mayor and council for having the courage to put everything forward," says Vanderpool.

On creating the right atmosphere

One of those proposals was REcreating Recreation. The 2016 millage transformed empty lots and unused space into recreational destinations.

Dodge Park is a prime example of this investment. There's also the farmers market, the award-winning Esports Arena, the Music in the Park concert series, the ice rink, and Community Center – all products of the millage. The program’s final capstone project, a three-season bocce ball facility dubbed the Bocce Barn, celebrated its opening this past March.

The Esports Arena is complete with Alienware Aurora R12 gaming computers with i7 processors. (File photo: Steve Koss)

"When the REcreating Recreation Millage passed, it was close. There are always people wary of raising any kind of tax. I can tell you though, everyone I've known who has voted against it loves it now," says Melanie Davis. 

Davis is Sterling Heights’ Communications Director – and some say a magician, since she seems to appear at every event no matter her schedule. Davis believes that these events are the reason the city has been so successful. They present multiple opportunities for residents to engage and connect. She credits the city's administration for creating the right atmosphere and not letting politics take precedence over their residents.

"Leadership here is what made the difference. I don't think any of the big ideas we had would have happened without the Mayor and Councilor Mark [Vanderpool] and all of our employees,” Davis says. “I think of the library and all the outreach it does. Right now a lot of libraries in the country are facing heavy opposition. Here, they have the freedom to meet everyone’s needs."

Davis has lived in the city since she was 7 years old and says she wouldn’t move anywhere else if given the chance.

“My kids are the big reason I’m here. It’s a very safe city and the schools are great. There’s a real sense of community and I wouldn’t want to leave that.”