South Main Katrina cottages

The South Main development in Buena Vista, Colorado, is the first new urbanist project in the Rocky Mountains — and perhaps in the entire western US — to start selling Katrina Cottages.
In August, South Main Development Inc. began offering four sizes of cottages: a 416 sq. ft. unit priced at $160,000, a 1,200 sq. ft. dwelling for slightly under $300,000, and two mid-size units of 544 and 936 sq. ft., according to marketing director Laurie Benson.
Of the first six cottages to be built, one 1,200 sq. ft. unit will be placed on a 50-by-77-foot lot. Five other cottages, ranging from 416 to 936 sq. ft., will share a 94-by-95-foot lot in a condominium form of ownership. Because of the limited interior space, the condo buyers also will be provided with small storage buildings at a rear corner of the lot.
South Main, a 40-acre development about 100 miles west of Colorado Springs, will obtain its cottage components from Lowe’s, the home improvement retailer, which began selling Katrina kits in the Southeast in late 2006 and expanded to national distribution in July. For the Colorado project, designer Marianne Cusato modified some of the architectural elements so that the cottages would have more of a Mountain West character. The developers also upgraded flooring, counter tops, and other finishes.
“These cottages come with a cruiser bike, so buyers can immediately insert themselves into the local culture, park their cars, and hop onto their ‘Townie’ bikes for the majority of their needs,” Benson adds. A cruiser or Townie bike is one with no gears or a three-speed, with a wicker basket on the front.
Some cottage buyers may become full-time residents of the town of about 2,200, situated along a whitewater stretch of the Arkansas River. But South Main is starting a rental program, so renting out the units is expected to be a convenient option. The developers also own lots outside South Main’s boundaries. They envision Katrina Cottages as a good infill product for some of those parcels, Benson says.