In Leimert Park, construction is coming to a close on a modular apartment complex which is billed as the neighborhood's first newly built housing development in three decades.

The project, built by Universal Standard Housing, replaced an automobile repair shop at 4252 S. Crenshaw Boulevard.  The four-story structure - built entirely from prefabricated modular units - features 111 studio and one-bedroom apartments - including 13 extremely low-income affordable units - and no on-site parking.

The Architects Collective designed 4252 Crenshaw, which places live/work apartments at street-level along Crenshaw Boulevard and transitions to the lower-scale neighborhood to the east through a rear yard.  The project also includes a roof deck along the northern property line.

As is common with modular housing projects, the use of prefabricated materials allowed for a speedier construction timeline.  Building permits were issued for 4252 Crenshaw in March 2019, and work was largely completed by year's end.

The property also offers lower rents than is typical in newly built market rate housing.  A leasing website indicates that 281-square-foot studio units offer rents between $1,375 and $1,475 per month, while while 381-square-foot one-bedroom apartments start at $1,675 per month, and live/work units start at $1,795 per month.

Universal Standard Housing entitled the project with Transit Oriented Communities incentives, which allowed for the elimination of any required on-site parking due to the property's proximity to the Crenshaw/LAX Line's under-construction Leimert Park Station.

Similar mixed-use buildings are planned to replace an adjacent car wash and a collection of vacant commercial structures on the opposite side of Crenshaw Boulevard.