Historic cottage at 53 Palm Square granted variance to remain below FEMA elevation

The Delray Beach Historic Preservation Board on Feb. 4 approved a variance allowing a historic cottage at 53 Palm Square to remain at its existing finished‑floor elevation despite a FEMA requirement that would normally raise the floor to 9 feet.

The board’s vote follows a staff explanation that a contractor’s permit estimate pushed the project past FEMA’s “substantial improvement” threshold—meaning the building would normally have to be elevated—because the estimated cost of interior work exceeded 50% of the structure’s appraised value. The applicants told the board they feared lifting the house to 9 feet would damage the nearly 80‑year‑old structure and essentially require a rebuild.

Issa of KER Construction, the contractor on the project, told the board the planned addition is small—roughly a 90–99 square‑foot…