Columbus modular apartment complex project nears completion

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A company that took over a once bustling department store to give it a new lease on life is nearing the completion of its first project

Last June, NBC4 reported on a 630,000-square-foot space that was once a Schottenstein’s store and Value City distribution center; inside it, modular apartments are produced from start to finish.

"Here we are years later after having a manufacturing facility built, putting a product in the market," Brad Dehays, founder of Connect Housing Blocks, said. "So it's very exciting for us."

The first development using the apartments now sits on the near east side of Columbus and is already welcoming tenants. It's called The Station at Trolley District, located across from East Market.

It’s been 11 months since Connect Housing Blocks began stacking the modular apartments and Dehays expects that process to be wrapped up by next month. 

"What we did is we broke our floor plans up into modules and we wanted to maximize the height," Dehays said. "So, we build everything in the factory other than the furniture. But, I mean, even the microwave, dishwasher, they're installed in the factory; hot water tank, electric panel."

It's a creation unlike anything Dehays has done before.

"We wrap it in plastic, almost like a boat and a marina and then we ship them here," Dehays said. "And then we take a crane, and we pick it up and we lift it, and we set it on site."

The modular apartments essentially assemble like Lego blocks.

"So then, all we have to do, are -- we call them seaming kits -- where the doorways come together, we do drywall in that doorway and at the floor, and then we hook all the mechanicals go to the hallway so our contractors can stay in the hallway, make those connections, drywall the hallways and we're done," Dehays said. 

According to Dehays, this method not only allows them to build in half the time standard construction would take, but it cuts back on waste and traffic. 

"It's 80% less on-site construction waste and close to 70% less on-site vehicular traffic of workers," Dehays said. "At this point in the project, we're wrapping it up, right now we'd be like halfway done and we'd have 150 workers here every day. Instead, we have like 20."

On top of increased efficiency, Dehays said there are many benefits to building these units inside. They're built out of steel and don't touch the outside elements, eliminating concerns about shrinking and expansion.

"This operates significantly better than anything that we build with traditional construction," Dehays said. "We have more insulation, we have more void space in the wall that creates sound dampening."

Dehays said the company has up to 165 full-time employees at the factory, helping to create jobs in central Ohio and address a major issue in the city: affordable housing.

"What we're seeing is, you know, the next five years, hopefully we can add a significant amount of supply at a lower cost, help stabilize rent," Dehays said. 

Tenants started moving into The Station at Trolley District in May, and there are still units available to rent. Dehays said now they're working on a low-income housing project about half a mile from the site that's half built in the factory right now. Dehays expects building to wrap up by the end of September.