Building Innovation for Homeownership
Award Winners: Ohio

PROJECT: Cone Street Development, Toledo, Ohio

SUBMITTER: Dennis Morgan, Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, Toledo, Ohio

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Cone Street is in a distressed part of inner-city Toledo. The construction of 20 to 40 new homes on these lots represents a breakthrough in providing affordable housing in this market, and innovative building technology. The lots have been provided by the city at no cost to the local housing authority. Permit fees and impact fees were waived by the city. The housing authority priced alternative techniques of construction, and found that an innovative concrete module technique--previously used only for commercial construction--could save approximately 15% over conventional site-built housing. The houses are being offered for $63,000, which is .57 of the median for new housing construction in the region. The system uses 12 concrete cube modules to create a 1,300 square foot house. Modules are craned into place with penetrations between the modules aligned. The front and back of the house is then closed in with steel studs, sheathing, and siding. Roofing framing and interior partitions are then constructed. The thermal mass of the concrete provides additional insulation for energy conservation. A second mortgage program was provided by the housing authority to reduce the price of the houses.

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS: Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority; Concrete Production Products, Ltd.; City of Toledo; Bancroft-Upton-Monroe-Association/Community Development Corp.