Housing project finally approved

A proposed 16-unit affordable housing complex that will occupy part of the site of the existing Skeeters Marine on Big Pine Key has received final development approval.

The project has been in the pipeline for more than two years, and Dick Beal, Skeeters owner and project developer, said he’s just happy to finally have the approval process out of the way.

“After two-and-a-half-plus years of dealing with the county on this, I’m glad I can finally do something constructive to get this project moving forward,” said Beal.

Beal had originally applied for 34 units, with a mix of market rate and affordable. He also planned, and still plans, to implement a marine technology training school on the land he’s owned for decades and where the marina sits today.

But that’s another phase of the project, and one that will sit idle until, and if, this phase gets off the ground, he said.

The complex will consist of eight duplexes with a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath townhouse on each side. The current boat storage yard that exists will be consolidated into the other half of the property.

Beal said he expects the homes to sell for somewhere around $220,000 to $230,000 and conform to Monroe County’s affordable housing guidelines.

“With the buyer incentives that will be available, these may well be the most affordable new properties in the Lower Keys,” said Beal.

Though Beal said he felt the process went as smoothly as could be expected, it wasn’t without its bumps.

When Beal first suggested the project, the county was still contemplating charging developers mitigation fees as part of the Habitat Conservation Plan. The fees associated with Beal’s project would have totaled more than $1 million.

Since then, the project has been scaled back to only affordable units and fewer than originally contemplated, negating any need to have the project cover mitigation costs.

Since then, the county has also been wheeling and dealing with the US Fish and Wildlife Service over mitigation needs and now believes there is enough on the books to cover all of the development allowed under the HCP.

Beal’s development approval for the project is good until March 19, 2010, a time frame that is as much dependent on the economy and a housing market rebound as anything else, he says.

“I would like to see a couple of units on the ground by the end of summer this year,” he said. “But that entails getting people interested and qualified for loans.”

Beal would like for locals who are currently renting to be the first ones to have a crack at the new housing.

“The workforce for this area comes and goes so fast, and part of the reason is that they have a hard time putting down roots due to housing issues. Sixteen units won’t solve that problem, but it’s a start,” said Beal.

Beal has had his property on the market for more than three years, but a declining economy and the plethora of regulations on Big Pine just to open a business and keep it operating, have kept potential buyers away.

“No one wants to invest money on Big Pine because they don’t see any black ink in the near future. The cost of doing business, with taxes and insurances, wages to have workers who can afford housing, is high,” he said.

If Caya Place Townhouses gets off the ground, it will be the largest housing project on Big Pine Key in more than 20 years.

“We need housing that makes it attractive for our next generation to stay here,” said Beal.

The homes will be deed-restricted for 50 years as affordable units, which limits the amount they can be resold for later.

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