Swartz Creek Needed $60,000 by July 10. Nineteen People Covered It.

By Carrie Thompson, Strategic Marketing Real Estate Agent, eXp Realty | Grand Blanc & Genesee County, MI

The crowdfunding campaign for the pergola at Holland Square closed at 11:30 p.m. on July 10, 2026 with $60,400 raised against a $60,000 goal. One hundred and one percent.

It came from 19 people. (Patronicity campaign page)

Three of them gave $10,000 or more, claiming all three of the Pillar of the Community tiers, which put an engraved plaque on each of the pergola's three brick pillars facing Miller Road. Two took $5,000 planter sponsorships. Four gave $1,000 or more. Nineteen donors, one small downtown, four hundred dollars over the line.

Hitting that number is what triggers a matching contribution from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation through its Public Spaces Community Places program. Miss it by a dollar and the match does not come.

Holland Square has been a parking lot with potential for years

The site sits at the corner of Miller Road and Holland Drive in downtown Swartz Creek. The city's own campaign description was honest about what it has been: "For years, Holland Square has sat as a quiet, unutilized space, often serving as a parking lot or staging area for events."

The Downtown Development Authority has been working on changing that since 2023. City Manager Adam Zettel described what they were after: "The DDA was seeking a means to increase the value of the (Holland Square) space as it relates to hosting various outdoor events." (Genesee County View, May 7, 2026)

What they landed on is a pergola of laminated engineered wood, chosen over the cedar originally considered because it lasts longer. Partial shelter, open sides. Designed to universal accessibility standards.

The project nearly fell apart on a timing problem

This is the part that makes the fundraising number matter.

The city had already secured a $75,000 grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority toward construction. That grant came with a hard condition: the work has to be finished by September 30.

Then the MEDC began pushing back the date its own funds would become available. Two funding sources, two clocks, and they stopped lining up.

"The plan hit a snag," as Genesee County View put it. The DDA's answer was to split the job. "We can order the essential components now, with lighting, sound, signs and furnishings to be installed at a later date using the PSCP funds," Zettel said. "So, we're going to complete the core of the pergola project this summer to meet the deadline. While that work is underway, we will likely be engaging in crowdfunding that will provide for additional features of lighting, sound, and landscaping."

"We will move as fast as we can," he said.

That September 30 deadline is this month.

A local contractor gave money back to help the town qualify

J.W. Morgan Construction, based in Swartz Creek, is building it. The company pledged a 3 percent credit, roughly $7,700 against the estimated $257,545 cost of the first phase, and that credit was applied toward the local match the city needed to be eligible for MEDC assistance. (Genesee County View, May 7, 2026)

A hometown builder discounting its own invoice so the town clears a grant threshold is not a common line item.

Dort Financial Credit Union took the title sponsorship at $50,000 in exchange for naming rights, which is why it will be the Dort Financial Pergola. (Genesee County View, June 4, 2026)

What it is actually supposed to do

The campaign, run by the city's Economic and Community Development director Greg Dietrich, laid out the plan for the finished space: a built-in speaker system so music does not need a permit, fire pits for gathering after football games, and electrical hookups so food trucks can plug in during the summer.

The events already named for it are the Swartz Creek Farmers' Market, the 5K Chocolate Fun Run, and the Jeepers Creekers Halloween Celebration.

"The Dort Financial Pergola at Holland Square project is about creating a welcoming public gathering space in downtown Swartz Creek that residents and visitors can enjoy for years to come," Dietrich said when the campaign launched. "Through MEDC's Public Spaces Community Places program, our community now has an opportunity to turn local support into an even greater investment in our downtown."

Paula Holtz, managing director of Regional Development for the MEDC, described the project as "quality placemaking by transforming vacant space and creating places for communal gathering and events."

Why a pergola belongs in a real estate conversation

Because this is what a downtown is actually made of, and it is easy to miss when you are looking at houses.

A buyer comparing Swartz Creek to somewhere else will look at the housing stock and the commute. What is harder to see on a listing sheet is whether a place is still investing in itself. A DDA that has stayed on one idea since 2023. A city manager who found a workaround instead of giving the grant back. A builder that discounted its own work. Nineteen households and businesses that put up real money, three of them $10,000 apiece, for a wooden structure in a parking lot.

Those are the people who will still be there after you close. That is worth knowing about a town.

Swartz Creek posts city information at cityofswartzcreek.org, and Genesee County View covers the DDA meetings where all of this happened.

If you are looking at homes in Swartz Creek, Grand Blanc, Davison, Fenton, Linden, Flushing, Burton, Goodrich or Holly and you want to talk through what a specific neighborhood is actually like, call or text me at (810) 893-3269.

About Carrie Thompson

Carrie Thompson is a licensed Michigan Realtor (#6501338662) with eXp Realty, serving Grand Blanc, Fenton, Davison, Linden, Flushing, Swartz Creek, Burton, Goodrich, Holly, and Genesee County. Known as "Your Favorite Property Girl," she brings a strategic marketing approach to every listing and every buyer search. Call or text (810) 893-3269.