Big Win For Homestead Companies

Homestead Companies has inked a new partnership with Lykens Companies and teaming up to bring over 300 apartments to the northeastern corner of Italian Village.

The proposal, announced this week by Homestead Companies and Lykens Companies, calls for 315 units and 398 parking spaces built on eight of the 22 acres that make up the Clark Grave Vault site.

A five-story apartment building and four-story townhomes are being proposed for the first phase of the development, which will be heard by the Italian Village Commission on October 13.

That portion of the proposal would be located on the south side of East Fifth Avenue, adjacent to the railroad tracks that form the neighborhood’s eastern boundary and just north of the large, green-roofed buildings that make up the Clark Grave Vault manufacturing facility.

A site map provided by the Homestead Development shows a second phase of the development to the south, but that portion of the project will not be reviewed by the commission next month.

The map also shows an extended Grant Avenue that could potentially enable connections to the Station 324 apartment complex on East Second Avenue and several neighborhood streets to the west.

“We have built our great reputation through trusted relationships and attractive, high quality, and walkable developments that communities want,” said Matt Canterbury, vice president of development for Homestead, in a statement. “Our partnership with Lykens Companies and the opportunity to enhance the Fifth Avenue corridor is another great example of designing and building multi-family projects that enhance our urban landscapes.”

The proposed project would sit across Fifth Avenue from Thrive Companies’ Grant Park development. And to the west of Grant Park, two significant development proposals were recently approved by the Weinland Park Community Civic Association.

“This is such a special project for us,” said Kevin Lykens, owner of Lykens Companies. “Remaking an industrial parcel like the Clark Grave Vault site into a welcoming gateway that honors Columbus’s hard-working history is exactly the challenge we love to tackle.”

Employee Spotlight: Lauren Rayner

Job Title: Community Manager

Property: Northpointe Apartments 

1.) How long have you been with Homestead? Almost 8 years

2.) What were you doing before Homestead? I started with Homestead a couple of months after graduating high school 

3.) Where are you originally from? Albuquerque, New Mexico

4.) What are your favorite hobbies? Shopping, Watching the Bachelor, and Making Tiktoksl

5.) What would you most like to tell your 13 year old self? Your mom is almost always right about everything!

6.) If you could have coffee with three people, dead or alive, who would it be? Maryellis Bunn, Jaclyn Johnson, and Ariana Grande (of course) 

7.) Who is the most famous person you have ever met? Toby Keith

8.) What is your dream vacation? Fiji

9.) What is the one THING, you can’t live without? Music!

10.) What is your proudest moment at Homestead? Seeing all of the renovations come together at Northpointe!

11.) What was your favorite Halloween costume? Ariana Grande 

Winner of the QR Code Challenge!

Congratulations to Kara Lackman, Leasing and Marketing Manager at The Valley in State College, PA. Kara is the winner of the $50 gift card QR Code Challenge that was featured in last month's Homestead Happenings. Thank you to everyone who participated

Champ Chain Winner: Amy Jarrett

This month's Champ Chain winner is so deserving of the recognition for her leadership, and commitment to her property and team...please join me in congratulating Amy Jarrett, our Community Manager at The Ranch!

"Amy comes to work every day in a great mood, and encourages all of us to strive to do our best.  She makes you want to come to work, and work as a team to accomplish our goals as a unit.  Even if she's quiet, don't let her fool you; she is a tremendously hard worker and drives all of us.  I want to personally thank Amy for being such a wonderful person to work for.  She deserves one big shout out for making so many people who work for her love their job.  I have never worked for someone who is so humble, even-tempered, fun, kind, and fair.  Big love and respect to someone who takes care of 700+ college students."  - Kaitlyn Key, Leasing & Marketing Manager 

Thank you, Amy, for being such an amazing example leadership, and for taking great care of our team and our residents.  We appreciate you so much!!

Captain John's Health Bootcamp - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Don’t Forget Screening

Despite some controversy, studies show that breast cancer screening with mammography saves lives. It doesn’t help prevent cancer, but it can help find cancer early when it’s most treatable. For most women, regular mammograms can begin at age 40, but specific recommendations vary by age and risk.

If you are age 40 – 44:

You can choose to begin yearly mammograms. It is important to talk to a doctor about the risk and benefits of mammograms at these ages.

If you are age 45 – 54:

Mammograms are recommended every year.

If you are age 55 or over:

Mammograms are recommended every other year. You can choose to continue to have them every year.

Clinical breast exams and self-exams are not recommended. But you should be familiar with your breasts and tell a health care provider right away if you notice any changes in how your breasts look or feel.

Other Important Risk Factors for Breast Cancer

Unfortunately, there are also a number of important breast cancer risk factors that women have no control over. Knowing which ones apply to you can help you understand your risk and do what you can to lower it. If you feel you’re at high risk, talk to a doctor or other health professional. These can increase a woman’s breast cancer risk:

• Older age, especially 60 years or over

• Family history of breast cancer

• First menstrual period (menarche) before age 12

• Menopause at age 55 or over

• First childbirth after age 35

• No children

• Tall height (5’8” or taller)

• Dense breasts

• History of benign breast disease (like atypical hyperplasia)

Welcome Home! Homestead U Welcome Their Newest Residents

Homestead U teams welcomed their new residents for the 2020/2021 school year. With COVID protocols in place and a new "drive-through" move-in strategy, onsite teams saw one of the smoothest move-ins on record. "Residents and parents were extremely happy with the process." said Shannon Latsko,  National Leasing & Operations Manager for Homestead U. "With over 4,000 move-ins across the country, we staggered the days for social distancing, and it made it easier to accommodate where help was needed."

With most schools starting with virtual schedules, there are still many students waiting to move. The teams will continue to prepare for the second wave of move-ins, and most communities are still leasing for the 20/21 school year, which will also have an effect on final move-ins. "We truly want to thank everyone for their hard work. I know turns and move-ins are challenging, but it truly is teamwork in it's rawest form. Congratulations! You did it." said Latsko.

Home Grown Talent

As a people-service industry, we know the unique value and talents our staff provides to our residents. Homestead is committed to re-investing in our staff and providing promotional opportunities to allow our staff to grow with us. Here are some recent summer promotions:

Summer Staff-Up Stats

With summer turns occurring, Homestead went through our summer staff-up period for student-housing, where we increase our staffing to have all hands available for turns. With COVID altering our turn operations, adequate staffing was more critical than ever. We hired just over 100 staff members (108 to be exact) in a 10-week period to onboard them for turns and provide a smooth transition for our students. We think this was our best turns to date- very well done by our staff!