Keith Groff had a vivid dream two years ago about building homes on a patch of land in Atlantic City's Southeast Inlet.
Forget that he did not own the land. Or even that a piece of land he did own was just a block away.
He made a call to Lance Landgraf, director of Planning for the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, that morning to tell him of his dream
"He probably thought I was crazy," Groff said. "But he was here to see this today, and that it's not crazy. And that anything's possible from any idea and dream."
He was eventually able to get the land he dreamed of at CRDA auction.
On Tuesday, he and several city officials stood before the beginnings of the new homes that will make up Lighthouse Row. Fittingly, with a view of the city's old Lighthouse.
"This is a $4 million project," Mayor Marty Small said. "It shows that investor confidence is at an all-time high here in the great city of Atlantic City."
Each of the four three-story buildings will have two homes.
The 1,750-square-foot total of each was surprising to many who toured the under-construction buildings.
"I designed them myself," Groff said. "There is not wasted space."
Each will have four to five bedrooms, depending on how the space is used, with the largest bedroom 17-by-11 feet.
There will also be three full bathrooms.
They even went a few feet higher on the post-Superstorm Sandy elevation requirements to allow for the bottom floor to be garages.
The first two buildings are expected to be done by June or July, with the last two expected to be completed by August or September.
Groff said he sold his other city properties to finance the project, and is "all in, 1000 percent."
