Grosse Pointe — Since its founding in 1880, Grosse Pointe has been the home to many members of prominent Michigan families, such as the Ford and Cotton families, and is home to the extremely exclusive Country Club of Detroit and Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.
The area has also maintained a reputation for being one of the more affluent areas to live in Southeast Michigan, with a median household income of over $140,000.
Interestingly, the five different townships were originally all joined together, until policies around alcohol consumption divided the communities.
Each city has its own municipal park that only residents are allowed to use. Each entrance is manned by security guards who ask you for your city-issued park pass, as well as your driver’s license, to confirm your address is within the correct area for the park.
Each park is right on Lake St. Clair. Lakefront features a massive pool, slides, and an indoor basketball court. Pier has a beach, and Windmill even has its own movie theater.
These parks essentially act as semi-privatized yacht clubs, each having a harbor offering easy access to Lake St. Clair, basketball and tennis courts, and plenty of space for grilling out and hosting outdoor parties.
The exclusivity of these public parks has been controversial for years, but it’s commendable that each section of this historic town has kept these parks closed off to the general public, allowing its citizens to maintain more responsibility for the upkeep of our recreational land.
What are you more likely to care about, your land or someone else’s? The tragedy of the commons concept explains it perfectly. When too many people have access to the same resource, they will eventually overuse it to the point of that resource’s destruction.
Obviously, the land you have a stake in is the land you’re more likely to care about. Especially one that is paid for by resident taxes.
Detroiters across Mack Avenue hate the exclusivity of these parks, of course.
While it’s understandable that a lack of direct access to Lake St. Clair might be frustrating for some, Grosse Pointe is not the only city with access to it. There are plenty of public access points in Saint Clair Shores, Harrison Township, and New Baltimore for people looking to enjoy a day on the water.
When was the last time any of the Grosse Pointe parks or recreational spaces were in need of a $1.5 million revamp like the one needed at Detroit’s Balduck Park, just on the outskirts of Grosse Pointe?
Keeping these recreational spaces private has allowed the citizens of Grosse Pointe to enjoy the spaces they have preserved, especially given high crime rates in surrounding areas.
Stop complaining about Grosse Pointers having nice private parks and make your own spaces nicer.
Alex Deimel is a contributing writer for Michigan Enjoyer.
