In January 2024, State and local dignitaries joined developer John Anderson to break ground for the Boathouse Bay housing project at Bayview Park in Silver Bay. In April of this year, with infrastructure work mostly complete, Boathouse Bay completed the first two homes. It began marketing the property, listing it on the MLS and various real estate websites.
This summer, Lauren Anderson, Realtor & Development Partner and John’s daughter, completed the time-consuming task of finalizing the HOA documents and entered into pending sale agreements for the already-constructed villas. The listing broker for the homes is Sue Griffith of Solutions Real Estate LLC.
She also has pending sale agreements for two new units and a reserved offer for a third.
“This fall, we are starting to dig the foundations for the new pre-construction villas, and they will be fully built and completed by March 2027,” Lauren said. They also plan to build two more spec units, so by next spring there will be eight to ten fully constructed and completed homes.
“The new pre-construction villas are larger (1778 sq. ft./ 3 Bed / 3 Bath / Detached Single Car Garage, with a refined layout, and the interiors are custom-designed by Aimee Christenson, owner of Winsome Home in Duluth, Lauren wrote in a recent email.
The villas are built off-site. They can be erected in as little as one day.
Boathouse Bay is a family project, and this family has deep roots on the North Shore. According to the development’s website, Anderson’s wife, Julie Anderson, spent her summers growing up along Lake Superior. Julie’s father spent his childhood summers in Tofte and later developed Chateau LeVeaux and Gull Harbor.
John and Julie brought their own children, Lauren and Erik, to share the same adventures and traditions that shaped Julie’s childhood. As a builder, John envisioned creating a place on the North Shore where others could experience the same connection to family, nature, and Lake Superior that had meant so much to them. In 2004, he bought the original two-acre property that would become the base of Boathouse Bay.
Julie is passionate about her work and the North Shore’s environment and culture. “The lake is the heart and the centerpiece of the whole place,” she said.
They recently began landscaping the shoreline parcel and the area around the two completed villas.
“I am a passionate gardener and lover of the outdoors and wildlife, Lauren said. “Planting Native Plants on our development is one of the most important things to me: the health of the lake, wildlife, and the people that will enjoy this place.”
Saline Landscape in Duluth designed the landscape. Prairie Restorations in Esko, MN, grew and installed the native plants. Lake County Soil and Water is also supporting the shoreline restoration work. “By spring, the native grasses, flowers, trees, and shrubs will start to grow,” Lauren said.
Boathouse Bay and the villas all feature dark-sky-compliant lighting. “The local chapter for Dark Sky International educated us on the importance of this, so they really helped us develop the policies and create the vision for keeping the night sky for community members to enjoy, as well as helping wildlife,” Lauren said.
While plans have evolved since that January groundbreaking, and despite construction challenges in the Arrowhead, the Anderson family appears to be creating what Lauren describes as “A peaceful place to enjoy Lake Superior that is also a ‘value add’ for the Silver Bay community.
Further information is available at boathousebay.com or by calling 218-220-1053 or emailing hello@boathousebay.com.
