Craig Ustler
PRESIDENT, USTLER DEVELOPMENT, ORLANDO
Ustler Development focuses on downtown Orlando development. It leads the master-development team for Creative Village, a 68-acre transformation district, in a public-private partnership with the city. Creative Village provides public education opportunities and resources to the Parramore Community along with affordable housing and green space. “At Creative Village, we’ve created the ‘cradle to career’ educational ecosystem,” Ustler says. “Creative Village is home to the top-ranked graduate video game design program in the world (UCF FIEA) and an industry-leading video game studio (Electronic Arts).”
EDUCATION: University of Florida (BA, MA)
IF I WERE GOVERNOR: Housing, more housing, and then more housing. But not in broad-based mandates that ignore location. We need a much greater housing supply of all types in the right locations. Supply for the sake of supply and sprawling development in the wrong locations are worse than not doing it all.
READING: Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It, by Nolan Gray.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: In real estate development, it always takes twice as long (or longer) and is twice as hard (or harder) than you expect. It is a tough balance between the optimism and excitement of doing a great project versus the reality of what it takes to get it done.
