TROY — The Rosenblum Cos. broke ground Thursday morning on its $18 million, mixed-use building at Congress and Fourth streets that has already generated a lot of excitement in the city.

Company officials also unveiled the name for the five-story building: Vicina - Modern Urban Flats. The name means neighbor or nearby in Italian.

The project is being touted as a future commercial gateway for the city that will connect downtown to Little Italy and the Pottery District.

The building, which is being built on the site of a former bank branch that has since been torn down, will have 80 apartments as well as street-level commercial space. Amenities will include a roof deck, pet spa and fitness center.

The company is hoping that the new building will receive as much acclaim as The News Apartments, which Rosenblum Cos. created from the former Troy Record building. That 101-unit building was recognized by the Preservation League of New York State this year with an Excellence in Preservation Award.

The Troy Industrial Development Agency has approved $5.3 million in tax breaks for the new Rosenblum project.

"We seek out projects that upend expectations and create long term value for our communities," said Seth Rosenblum, CEO of The Rosenblum Cos. "Vicina will reimagine an interrupted city streetscape and repopulate it with over 100 new residents to patronize those great eateries, shops and services that are leading the way."