Artist rendition of Northshore Flats Condominiums Project

ESCANABA — For decades, it’s been Escanaba native Matt Sviland’s dream to build condominiums on Escanaba’s north shore at the old Chamber of Commerce site. Escanaba anchors Delta County’s 211 miles of freshwater shoreline — more than any other county in the U.S. can claim, yet waterfront condominiums and apartments have never been developed here. The vacant lakeside property has been non-functional for years. Sviland, and his wife Beth, are the owners and operators of the Swanee, Incorporated development company, and have a history in building renovations, as well as being third-generation owners of downtown Escanaba businesses.

The Sviland family has been Escanaba business owners since 1915, when Arne Sviland, who at 19 immigrated from a farm called Sviland on the outskirts of Stavanger Norway, began his business – Arne Sviland Decorating. Arne’s son Dale expanded the contracting business, and in 1965 bought Anderson’s Paint Shop, remodeled that downtown location, and turned it into Delta County’s go-to destination for decorating advice and quality decorating products. Dale’s son, Matt, bought the family contracting business in 1987, and purchased Sviland’s retail store, located at 1414 Ludington Street, in 1990.

“A strong work ethic is the foundation of my family. Grandpa Arne came to the United States with $100 to his name. Both he and my dad, Dale, through sacrifice and hard work, were able to establish business and provide for their families.” said Matt Sviland.

With a background in architectural studies, and residential and commercial decorating, Sviland has put his knowledge and talent to work repurposing outdated, abandoned, and non-functional properties.

In 1992, Matt and Beth purchased a condemned house in Escanaba and spent a year gutting it, then restoring it to its 1890s charm. The Svilands updated the façade and interior of their decorating store in 2006, where they offer Hunter Douglas Window Treatments, Benjamin Moore Paints, and Sikkens Woodcare Products.

In 2007, the Svilands purchased the Delta Building, located at 1615 Ludington Street, where Stephenson Avenue intersects with Ludington Street. The building was deemed functionally obsolete and was filled with garbage that had been accumulating for decades. The Svilands realized this building was a diamond in the rough, and worked at gutting the inside of the building during the daytime while figuring out financing for the project in the evenings. The historic building was perfectly suited for the creation of 15 one-, two-, and three-level loft-style apartments. The three commercial leasehold spaces, in addition to residential living, categorizes the building as mixed-use.

The Lofts on Ludington was recognized in a ceremony in Lansing for receiving the Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation and is recognized as an example of “Placemaking” in Michigan. Daniel Gilmartin, executive director and CEO of the Michigan Municipal League, visited Escanaba and toured the Lofts. He stated that The Lofts on Ludington is exactly what the State of Michigan is looking for – the creation of high-quality places to live, work, learn and play. The Lofts was featured in episode 315 of “Under the Radar Michigan” and has been used by the state as an example of excellence in development. The same local design and development team responsible for The Lofts on Ludington has been assembled for the creation of the Northshore Flats.

The Northshore Flats Condominiums will activate the vacant, underutilized property on Escanaba’s north shore. The condominiums will provide lakeside housing for people in a traditional downtown neighborhood, which in turn, intensifies the use of existing infrastructure, keeps sprawl in check, and provides the safety of a 24/7 presence of people, due to the differing hours of business traffic and residents, Sviland said. Environmental guidelines are currently being implemented and the next step is for geotechnical engineering to study the soil under the influence of loading forces and soil-water interactions for construction. Floor plans are being finalized and construction is planned to begin in 2024.

The next phase is the planned Northshore Flats mixed-use development. This building will house apartments as well as a possible market and cafe, which will impact the area in many ways.

“These residential and business locations will greatly improve the walk score for this end of town and will benefit existing businesses such as the historic House of Ludington, as well as the new hotel development planned for the old jail site. Potholes don’t fix themselves, it takes money. Escanaba needs the population and resulting property tax revenue growth which the Northshore Flats will provide. The creation of permanent place-based infrastructure associated with a social zone, in Escanaba’s traditional downtown, will produce much needed gathering spaces open and accessible to the general public,” Sviland stated in a press release.

“There are very exciting renovations happening in Escanaba that are spearheaded by folks who grew up here. City and DDA administration are Escanaba natives. These are the people who believe in our city and care enough to invest their time, hard work, and money into making Escanaba a great place to live, work and play. There will be a ripple effect where people will move out of their houses and into the condos and apartments, opening the homes they’re leaving for other families to buy. Those folks will leave their starter-homes, making them available for young people. The restaurants, hotels, distillery, winery, and mixed-use development will draw people into our downtown and spur further development and employment opportunities. It’s a very exciting time to live in Escanaba,” Sviland said.