Columbus developers Lykens Cos. and Homestead Cos. will break ground on their Italian Village-area apartment development at the end of this year. 

Matt Canterbury, President of Development for Homestead, said the project plans will be before Columbus City Council for final approval in the next few weeks. 

Lusso, as the project is known, consists of 8 acres broken into two separate pieces, a north site bordering 5th Avenue and a south site between 3rd and Detroit avenues near East Alley on what is currently industrial property. 

Developer Kevin Lykens, who owns Lykens Cos., said this swath of land is the largest piece of undeveloped ground left in the Italian Village.

The north site will have 287 units and the south site will have 135 with the first units likely being available in late spring of 2023, Canterbury said. 

The north site will be a higher density four-story building with underground parking. Canterbury said the building will look like an old warehouse so that it fits with what is currently there and is a nod to what the area used to be used for. Closer to to Italian Village, the project steps down in height into townhomes. 

There will be a two-story amenity building with a pool and elevated park. The park will be a private amenity for residents only. 

"This is a really unique amenity," Canterbury told Columbus Business First. 

The south site will have three- and four-story apartment buildings near the Clark Grave Vault property. These buildings will have a modern, industrial design, Canterbury said. 

"The south site will likely attract similar young professional demographics that the Italian Village is already capturing. The north site will be more upscale and luxury, so it will attract young professionals, but also established professionals who want to live in the area, but not right on High Street," Canterbury said. "The apartments at the north site will … have hotel-like amenities and really be a step ahead."  

Other firms working on the project include Columbus Architectural Studio, who is handling the design; Crimson Design, handling interior design; and MKSK, handling landscape design. Homestead's construction arm will be the general contractor for the project. 

Lykens has several projects to its name in Italian Village, like the Budd Dairy Food Hall, but this is Homestead's first in the area. Both said the project will be transformational for the neighborhood. 

"When you start to see stuff redeveloping and rehabbing, that is when a neighborhood matures," Lykens said.