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32 | FLORIDA HOMES MAGAZINE didn't love the technolog y business. So I joined my brother who had just bought a rehab project and I never looked back. Ever y project was a lile different, a lile bigger. Our single- family development morphed into multi-unit condo development, which lead to larger mixed-use projects with a commercial component and residential above. Most of our business, our core competence, is in residential condo development, predominately in Chicago. We have done many condo conversions in Florida and we're expanding. My brother is doing a project in the Turks and Caicos and we have some small projects going in Michigan. is is my first high-rise project in Florida. It's exciting for me, something new. Do you think the square footage minimum requirements are an issue downtown? Before I started this project, I took it to the street to so sell it. I talked to the brokerage community and they told me one thing emphatically: " build larger units." But, I watched a lot of two-bedroom units selling quick ly because they were in that $800,000 categor y and the larger units kind of lingered until they were absorbed. But, what I'm realizing now through my buyers and some of the other projects in town, the larger units are selling ver y well. I think there is a pent up demand for those units. W hat is the square footage of your units? Our larger units are just under 2,800 sq. ., three bedroom, three bath, with den, air conditioned and 3,200-3,300 sq. ., including the outdoor decks. e smaller units are about 2,300 sq. . air conditioned, three bedrooms, three baths and 2,600 sq. . with outdoor terraces. Do you think this phenomenon is due to the fact that Baby Boomers are coming om large homes and our perception of adequate living space in America is rather expansive? It is, yes. When I break down our buyers they are from Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key and want to live downtown, or downtown residents who want to upgrade. We also have a few out-of-towners who want to use the

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