On a bright January day two years ago, state and local dignitaries joined developer John Anderson to break ground on the Boathouse Bay project in Bayview Park, Silver Bay. City officials recognized the need to upgrade decades-old infrastructure and identified Boathouse Bay as essential for expanding the city’s tax base to fund those improvements.
David Drown, the city’s economic development director, originally stated that utility infrastructure construction for Boathouse Bay would start in spring 2024, but the work began in fall 2024 and finished in 2025, delaying the start of housing construction.
The project’s original website described it as a “recreational residential development” of 24 high-end villas and 18 bungalows, as phase one of a five year plan. It also listed an event center, seven residential lots, and a 110-unit mini-storage complex to fill the space between homes and Highway 61. Now, the Boathouse Bay website lists “24 villas and 7 residential lots available.”
With infrastructure work mostly complete, Boathouse Bay has built two villas to begin marketing the property. One is completely finished and ready to serve as a model home, while the other is left unfinished so potential buyers can see the construction in use.
Anderson says they will market the property using MLS, commercial websites, and social media. They plan to staff the model home each weekend this summer, and are available to meet interested buyers. Contact them at hello@boathousebay.com, (218) 220- 1053, or boathousebay.com.
“We’ve completed all of the HOA documents and will have marketing brochures available soon,” Anderson said.
Mike Maney, a consultant to Anderson and Boathouse Bay, says they are already building a list of potential buyers who have expressed interest. And he added, “We’re a demand-driven development. We’re not building to leave at the end; this is a long-term project.”
Anderson purchased the original two-acre site, which included an old boathouse on the shore, thus the name, almost twenty years ago. “It was the coolest piece of property I’d ever seen,” Anderson said. As he and a partner planned to develop it, the Great Recession of 2008 caused them to pull back, but Anderson kept the property. On the website, he wrote, “The idea wasn’t to build something loud or imposing, but something that belonged here— something that felt settled into the land rather than placed on top of it. A place where families could gather, where mornings start slow, where stories get told and retold, and where time stretches in the best way.” To help achieve the Boathouse Bay vision, Silver Bay sold Anderson the 24 acres adjacent to his property for $1, on the condition that the project be completed within 5 years.
City leaders, including those working on Silver Bay’s 2040 vision, view Boathouse Bay as a key to long-term success. New tax revenue from these homes is intended to help fund the city’s $100 million infrastructure overhaul for sewers, water mains, and streets.
Silver Bay Mayor Wade LeBlanc said that, despite typical construction delays on the North Shore, he, his fellow councilors, and city department heads are satisfied with the project.
“So far, Anderson has lived up to his end of the bargain and has widespread support. The delays are how construction goes.” He went on to say that the City of Silver Bay has lived up to its end of the bargain as well.
The City of Silver Bay has played a major role in platting and zoning changes to advance “Project Loon,” the site’s original name. In late 2025 and early 2026, the council has been finalizing platting and engineering reviews to ensure that site utilities align with the citywide improvements.
The city urgently needs new tax revenue, while the developer faces timeline challenges. Boathouse Bay is central to Silver Bay’s modernization effort, easing the infrastructure cost burden on current residents.
