Four three-story buildings with housing in their

Four three-story buildings with housing in their upper floors and retail or office space at ground level are under construction facing the square in Haile Village Center, a widely admired new urban development in Gainesville, Florida. Those and 13 other buildings that are under way will leave only three or four more building sites to be developed in the future, says Bob Kramer, president of Haile Plantation Corp. Kramer built a town hall that is rented out for weddings at a rate of $750 for four hours and $250 for each additional hour. The building cost $100 a square foot to build, making it the most expensive in the project, primarily because of the commercial utility systems and high ceilings. It’s also rented for business meetings and is used by a church, and it is turning a profit. Begun in 1994, the 50-acre development has about 130,000 feet of commercial space occupied by 55 businesses. The residential portion includes 32 townhouses and 48 single-family houses completed; 20 custom single-family houses under construction; 28 condo units and 117 apartments about the be started; and about 309 other apartments located above offices or mixed-use space. “It will take about 15 months to reach completion,” Kramer says.