HUDSON, Fla. --- Here's a very bright, brand new idea that's bound to see some replay across the state: beachfront (sort of) mobile homes (well, not really) over garages (state law) that are priced at under $70,000 (plus lot lease, just like manufactured homes).

Jodie Tillman at the St. Pete Times broke this story (Lance Aram Rothstein, St. Pete Times, took the photo) and we'll bet this one goes national.

Put an architect like Abe Kadushin on this and a developer like Nick Pavonetti and see how many awards  it would win. Definitely merits one from us. We'v posted a photo of the product at Florida Workforce Housing Network.

 

TriBird Development of Hudson is replacing the 43 homes in the old Hudson Springs Mobile Home Park with 43 modular homes. Like any other modular home, these are secured on concrete foundations - only the foundations in this case are nearly 14 feet tall and double as stucco-finished garages painted to match the homes.

The living space in the homes is relatively small, about 540 square feet, so TriBird is marketing the units as vacation villas and refers to the park as a "fisherman's paradise." The garages, the company says, could be a place to store boats.

Prices range from $69,900 to $79,900, depending on how close they are to the canal that provides access to the Gulf of Mexico. Buyers would also have to pay $400 to $500 a month to lease their lots.