Little Torch Key Cottages in the Keys to hit the market, could fetch $20M

Eastwind Development is putting its 48-unit Little Torch Cottages rental community on the market next week, Cushman & Wakefield said.

The complex, which opened in 2014, sits on the eponymous Lower Keys island of Little Torch Key at 28501 Channel View Drive. Its 3.7 acres include 400 feet of shoreline along the Big Pine Channel, which separates the eastern edge of Little Torch from the western edge of the much larger Big Pine Key, near mile marker 28.5 of the Overseas Highway.

Listing broker Calum Weaver, a Cushman & Wakefield senior vice president, told The Real Deal that the Little Torch Cottages listing would be published without an asking price. But he estimated that the complex would sell for about $20 million.

“It’s the newest rental building on the market in the Keys, simple as that,” Weaver said. “Waterfront. Has a marina. It’s in excellent condition.”

Little Torch Cottages is composed of 24 three-story duplexes, each built in the wooden Bahamian conch style that is common in Key West. The buildings are elevated above a carport and contain two levels of living space. Each unit has two bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths with 1,081 square feet on average, Cushman & Wakefield said.  

All units have impact glass designed to handle winds of up to 180 mph, as well as at least one porch.

Amenities at Little Torch Cottages include the 14-slip marina, two pools, a fitness center and a 3,500-square-foot clubhouse. The average rent is $2,688 per month and all but two of the units are currently occupied with 12-month leases, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

Eastwind Development purchased the site in Dec. 2012 for $3.25 million, Monroe County records show. The Monroe County Property Appraiser’s Office assessed the property at $10.4 million in 2016.

Within the Keys, Palm Beach Gardens-based Eastwind is also the developer of the 106-unit Tarpon Harbour community in Marathon.

Founded in 2007, Eastwind has also built or is working on market-rate rental projects in Pembroke Pines, Lantana, Jupiter, Orlando and Boynton Beach, according to the company’s website.