AKRON, Ohio - The Tober Building Co. is at work on a new high-end apartment complex in West Akron that will be called The One Twenty.

But ground won't be broken at 120 Hawkins Ave. until March.

Tober is using "modularization" to construct 151 units at sister company ToVee LLC's offsite facility. ToVee produces fully finished living units in a factory setting.

Plumbed, wired and painted, with windows and appliances installed, the units will be shipped next spring to Hawkins Avenue and stacked via crane on the building's steel framework "like legos," said President Todd Tober.

"You walk in the door and they're ready to go" Tober said.

Building through modularization solves a lot of problems related to efficiency, quality and affordability in the construction industry today, Tober said.

Rising construction costs are causing developers to make units progressively smaller to avoid sacrificing quality. Labor shortages are a problem, as more young people opt for college and fewer are interested in learning skilled trades, he said.

Using modular units can cut down construction time for projects by 30 to 50 percent and can save up to 10 percent of construction costs, usually engineering and design related, Tober said.

What's more, having the units built and ready to go avoids construction delays because of weather, and eliminates the need to cart heavy furniture and appliances up eight floors.

A single-bedroom apartment in The One Twenty will cover 1,000-square feet and cost $1,300 per month.

The idea of factory-produced housing isn't new, Tober said. In the 1960s and '70s, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development launched "Operation Breakthrough" to spur higher volume, good-quality housing development for people at all income levels.

In Akron, The One Twenty concept supports the city's efforts to increase Akron's population to 250,000 by 2050, and fills a void in Akron's housing offerings, said Akron Planning Director Jason Segedy.

Akron's apartment stock is lacking in some modern amenities people have come to expect - such as dishwashers and central air - simply because most are older complexes, he said.

The One Twenty, to be located in Wallhaven, also complements the city's Great Streets initiative, which targets 10 Akron neighborhoods with small-business districts. Great Streets is designed to help bring business and vibrancy back to through revolving loans, facade-improvement grants, street enhancements and grants to neighborhood-improvement organizations.

With the Whole Foods Market that opened last year in Wallhaven and the other nearby retail, the city is considering redesigning Hawkins Avenue to reduce it to three lanes and add some on-street parking, Segedy said.

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