OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Oakland County wants more parks, but it isn’t looking to buy more land.

Instead, county officials are turning to school districts, exploring partnerships that would convert school-owned property into county-managed park space. The districts would keep ownership, while Oakland County Parks would handle maintenance, upgrades, and programming.

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Parks Director Chris Ward said the approach targets publicly owned land that’s sitting idle or serving a limited purpose.

“(It) allows us to provide a very immediate positive impact in communities that have long paid property taxes to support us but have seen less visible benefit,” Ward said.

The strategy is getting a boost from $15 million in federal funding tied to the county’s Healthy Communities Plan, approved in 2022, which officials say has sped up ongoing negotiations.

In Pontiac, the county already manages nearly 19 acres at the former Hawthorne Elementary School and is considering additional school-owned land, building on Pontiac Oaks, a 77-acre park created from former school property.

Similar partnerships are under review elsewhere in the county.