Cottages Key for Affordable, Storm-Resistant Housing

Hurricane Irma exacerbated Florida's Big Pine Key housing affordability problem, and in turn, prompted local developers to come up with a solution.

Founded in 2017, the nonprofit entity Florida Keys Community Land Trust is building four new storm-resistant cottages, designed by Katrina Cottages designer Marianne Cusato, that are elevated 12 feet, and can withstand 200 mile-per-hour winds. The cottages are set on lots that the county bought and will lease back to the trust for 99 years, CityLab reports. Big Pine Key lost the most homes of any key from Hurricane Irma, 473 and 1,538 homes were damaged, according to county data.

The Florida Keys are known for their appeal to tourists eager to escape to Margaritaville and fish or snorkel in turquoise waters. Like other tourist destinations, the Keys—a string of islands off the southern tip of Florida—require workers to staff their restaurants, hotels, and glass-bottom boats. Big Pine Key is a bedroom community where many people who live and work in the Keys year-round reside. The island between Key West and Marathon, Big Pine Key has a population of over 4,000.

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