A unique multifamily residential development is rising quickly in Leimert Park.

In March 2019, Universal Standard Housing obtained approvals to replace an auto repair shop at 4252 Crenshaw Boulevard with a four-story, 111-unit apartment complex.  Just three months later, construction has already reached the fourth floor for the project, which will offer a mix of studio and one-bedroom apartments, including 13 units that will be set aside as extremely low-income affordable housing.

The Architects Collective designed 4252 Crenshaw, which will provide street-fronting units in lieu of ground-floor retail space.  No automobile parking is included within the development, though it will include 81 bicycle parking spaces.

Placement of the modular units took a total of five days, according to Glenn Gritzner, a representative of Universal Standard Housing.  At the current pace of work, the building could be ready for move-ins by Thanksgiving, amounting to an eight-month construction period.

The project, which is funded with private capital, will be geared toward lower middle-income renters, says Gritzner.

The 4252 Crenshaw development is one of a handful of ground-up developments planned along the path of the Crenshaw/LAX Line, including affordable joint-developments near the Fairview Heights and Expo/Crenshaw stations.

Universal Standard Housing is one of a handful of developers that have recently turned to prefabricated modular units in Los Angeles County, including Mogul Capital - which recently completed a dual-branded Marriott hotel in Hawthorne - and BLVD Hospitality, which broke ground in May on an 11-story citizenM hotel in Downtown's Historic Core.