The city of New Port Richey’s Community Redevelopment Agency is moving forward with plans to encourage the construction of two coastal cottage homes in the Edgewater Gardens subdivision.
The city owns three lots — which will be converted into two parcels — near the corner of Garden Drive and Edgewater Drive. At the Jan. 6 CRA meeting, members voted unanimously to authorize staff to request proposals from potential homebuilders for the two single-family, detached homes. Both lots are within the flood zone classification AE — a federal designation indicating an elevated risk of flooding.
“The coastal cottage concept was dreamed up by our development department in an attempt to provide a more resilient product type to flood-prone areas and offer a new and unique product to our market,” said Dave Gammon, economic development director for the city, after the meeting.
The coastal cottage design generally features an elevated floor plan with a garage or carport on the ground floor and living spaces above that are high enough to protect the structure against significant flooding damage. They’re often painted in light, earthy tones and may include second-floor balconies and Bermuda shutters, with exteriors finished in cedar or Hardie plank siding.
Gammon says constructing coastal cottage homes on the two parcels is part of a larger initiative to develop new housing concepts that align with the city’s long-term goals of building resilient neighborhoods.
“The city owns a few lots that could work, but more importantly, there are hundreds of lots throughout the city in the AE flood zone, some with damaged or destroyed homes, that could be potential sites to build a coastal cottage home,” he said.
While the city owns the two Edgewater Gardens parcels, Gammon says New Port Richey could quitclaim — a legal process where the current owner of a property transfers their interest in it to another person or entity — the lots to the CRA if needed. The market will determine the value and size of the homes, Gammon said.
Once a builder is chosen, the company will go through the permitting process. Before construction begins, the city or CRA will deed the lots to the builder, who will own the homes until they are eventually sold to buyers. Once the builder obtains a certificate of occupancy on the homes, it will be entitled to a $25,000 cash incentive per house.
“A coastal cottage product will be new to our, and quite frankly, most markets,” Gammon said. “It will take a significant investment on the part of a private-sector builder to construct the first units — both in terms of capital investment and risk selling an unproven product.”
That’s where the city’s CRA can help, he says.
“By providing an incentive package, we can hopefully adjust the risk-return ratio to something acceptable to a qualified builder,” Gammon said.
Constructing the two coastal cottage homes in the Edgewater Gardens subdivision can be the beginning of a bigger picture, he says.
“Once that happens, builders can continue this momentum and build coastal cottage communities where older mobile home parks once stood — a product that improves resiliency to flooding events and increases the overall neighborhood attractiveness, safety and value,” Gammon said.
