Allison Wood | The Gazette

MEDINA — With the help of her mother and sister, Ashley Novince of Brunswick placed some kitchen and bathroom items she received in her brand-new apartment at the Medina Creative Housing development.

“We wanted this for Ashley her whole life,” said Vickie Novince about her 20-year-old daughter.

The complex, which has 12 single units and four two-bedroom units, will house developmentally and physically disabled individuals. It is located at the intersections of West Reagan Parkway and North Huntington Street.

The Novinces, along with several other soon-to-be residents and their families, spent Thursday afternoon at the complex “shopping” for items they needed, such as kitchen and bath items, to furnish their apartments.

Tom Prebis of Hinckley Township gets help loading donated household items into his mother’s minivan Thursday from fellow resident Michelle Workman of Wadsworth. (Allison Wood | Gazette)

All of the items, which were displayed in four different rooms throughout the complex, were donated by Bed Bath & Beyond throughout the last year, said Executive Director Dianne DePasquale-Hagerty. The items included coffee makers, pillows and bathroom mats and more.

While some residents were able to place items in their units, Tom Prebis and his mother Anna of Hinckley Township filled almost an entire minivan with new fixings since his unit is still under construction.

Tom, who is 24, said this is the first time he has ever lived on his own.

“It’s been a long time in coming,” he said.

The project was funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and additional money was raised to purchase washer/dryer units and dishwashers for every apartment, DePasquale-Hagerty said. The units also have small back patios.

New resident Michelle Workman of Wadsworth said her favorite part about her apartment is the washer and dryer because she never had one of her own before.

“These new places are so doggone cute,” she said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the complex is scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday.

Some of the residents will get to move in next week, while others will have to wait a couple weeks for construction crews to complete their buildings, DePasquale-Hagerty said.

Similar units soon will be constructed in Brunswick on Foxwood Terrace, just behind Buehler’s. Construction is set to begin in September, she said.

Contact Allison Wood at (330) 721-4050 or allisonwood@ohio.net.