COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A once bustling department store has a new life.

The 630,000-square-foot space was once a Schottenstein’s store and Value City distribution center at the corner of Westerville and Innis Roads. The store closed more than 15 years ago.

By 2024, after years of planning, there is once again activity in the warehouse, and they are working to fill a void in a unique way.

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Developer Brad Dehays is no stranger to the inner workings of a development project. He’s been the mastermind behind dozens of projects across the city – but his latest and what it is slated to create is unlike anything he’s done before.

“Being a contractor, a developer, we felt we had a good skill set and someone brought to us an idea about doing modular,” DeHays said.

This developer and his team produce the units from start to finish inside of the former value city distribution center.

“Here in the factory, we build on 80% of the projects built in the factory, so it never touches the outside elements,” DeHays said.  “When you think about mold and dust and some of the other elements, we just don’t have to have the same set of concerns as we do with traditional structure.”

He explains he first gutted the warehouse to outfit it with equipment. He tells NBC4 what would typically be constructed out of wood, like the framing, is custom cut out of steel, with computer programs creating the elements and then producing and custom cutting each piece, even the screws.

From there, team members assemble the pieces and add other elements like doors, windows and installation. He explains this method, all done in house, is not only faster and produces 80% less construction site waste, but also 80% less traffic around construction sites. He said the work can be done by workers without the traditional construction background – a plus when it comes to hiring those with limited work experience.

The team’s first modular apartment complex is located across from the East Market in the Trolly District. The developer explains their process makes construction more efficient with construction here slated to last until October or about four months versus one to two years.

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