This past Wednesday, June 7th, marked the ribbon cutting for The Willows at Symphony Hall, an affordable housing project in Newark’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

The launch of the building, located at 395 Halsey Street, is meant to be another landmark that represents Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District’s (LPCCD) mission of building a sustainable arts and culture district in the historic neighborhood.

A joint project of the YMCA and Ingerman Group Properties, The Willows will provide 60 affordable artist housing units: 20 of them one-bedroom units, and the other 40 of which are two-bedroom units.

A quarter of the units are fully furnished and set aside for residents with special needs, including six units for residents with mental illness and nine for those who are homeless with a disability.The four-story building’s amenities include a fitness center, community rooms with an artists’ studio and gallery space, furnished sundecks, playground, off-street parking, secure entry, a pet friendly policy and handicap accessibility.

Ingerman is the developer for nearly four dozen residential developments in New Jersey, including Lincoln Park, the four-building, 70-unit affordable apartment community located on the park at Washington and Spruce Streets.

Units in The Willows are still available as of this publishing, according to a person speaking on behalf of LPCCD. Interested potential residents can visit the leasing office at 25 Spruce Street to pick up or drop off a rental application.

The ribbon cutting was attended by Mayor Ras Baraka, Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins, Director of Housing Assistance Julio Colon, Newark YMCA President and CEO Michael Bright, BCM Affordable Housing President Bruce Morgan and Ingerman President and CEO Brad Ingerman.