TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Club Orient Property economique

The French Government has reclassified the property known as Club Orient as economique, meaning never to be developed as long term resident use but only as short term hotel rentals. The property is below sea level and is in a high risk zoning.

Which means what?

That is really interesting... wonder what that means for the owners that are not contributing their units to the rental pool?

Which means build chalets that can survive another hurricane and a safe house if all tourist need to evacuate!
The property can never be developed as residential use. The villa was used as a residential home for the Brinks as well as the front gate house.
Having been thru Super storm Sandy all houses had to be raised in flood zones. It was a big undertaking but everyone did it!
CO would be crazy to just fill in the property with sand and build the same structures. I would recommend pilings like on Fire Island Beach Homes.
https://pearsonpilings.com/pilings-solutions/home-foundations/

How do you know this and where is it published?
When was this reclassification done?

Club O posted this info just the other day on their facebook page. They have been posting very recently with some lengthy answers.

Club Orient facebook page has been active and informative. I don't know who is actually running and moderating the fb page but he or she or both are doing a good job answering questions to those loyal customers who deserve answers. I hope they keep answering questions people have and don't delete the comments good or bad.

As for the stilts/elevated homes, many governments are now requiring any homes near the coast and/or flood zones be built with non-living space on the lowest level. Here on coastal Florida, any NEW homes built must have breakaway walls for storm surge. Homes built before the code are not required to elevate however any changes to the structure would require the structure to be elevated. The idea is great for safety but terrible for views. If you look at places along the North Carolina, Texas etc where all the homes sit on stilts it is not the most pleasing to the eye. I wonder how that type of redevelopment would affect Club O not to mention Orient Beach in general.

No doubt the elevation would change things. I wonder if there is a way to elevate and have a build up of sand to each unit in lieu of steps as the storm approaches a front in loader could scatter the sand. Dumb idea ugh.

But it is the right idea to build and plan ahead for another near Irma and that means better structures for everyone including the beachfront.


The development on the rest of Orient has never been pretty since we met orient beach. But the front row of those joints is good.

All I know for sure is the view from under my yellow umbrella would always be perfect.

Would be interested to see what lenders think about financing any CO project on the existing site.

Here is my Club Orient Chalet entry for the planned rebuilding of the chalets. All wood, very rustic and on pilings. Dreams sometimes can come true!