On a warm day at Georgia King Village, families gathered around red picnic tables with baby strollers and their kids' toys. Parents watched as their children played in the new playground on the basketball courts while older residents challenged each other to a game of chess.

"It's been a whole lot of change," said Denise Henryel, a 17-year resident of Georgia King Village in Newark, as children ran in the nearby playground. "Back in the day, we had to look and say who is he running from? It used to be something."

Georgia King Village often made headlines for its shootings, burglaries and violent crime. But on a recent Monday, the conversation among residents was about change.

L+M Development Partners and Prudential have invested $9 million in the sprawling low-income complex since purchasing it in 2016, adding 200 security cameras, a perimeter fence, 24-hour security and a children's library.

It's latest addition -- and a rare amenity for low-income housing -- is free Wi-Fi for residents.

Last week, 272 residents in the two 18-story towers were given passwords to access their free wireless internet connection, provided by Newark Fiber, the city's high-speed fiber optics network. Wifi will be installed at the 144 townhouses by next year.

The two towers at Georgia King Village in May 2018.

"For a lot of folks, access to the internet means access to employment," said Mekaelia Davis, director of corporate giving for Prudential. "It's not only going to bridge the digital divide, we're saving people $80-$100 a month. That's more money for groceries, more money for day care."

Prudential paid a $250,000 grant to build the infrastructure to bring free Wi-Fi to the property. Officials said there's no plan to have residents pay for Wi-Fi in the future.

"A lot of people see the change and say, 'Wow,'" resident Lourdes Cuevas said in Spanish. She says she has no internet or cable and is "very happy" to have Wi-Fi installed and be able to stream shows. But she also pointed to other improvements on the property, reflecting on her 26 years living there.

"The kids can be outside, there's no more (open air) drug sales. Everything is cleaner, more orderly," she said.

The 1,030 residents at the 422-unit low-income complex in the West Ward have heard the same promises from a revolving door of new management companies over the years. But those dusty pledges are finally coming to fruition.

"We're heavily invested in Newark," said Jeffrey Moelis, director of development, preservation for L + M. "We're not going anywhere." L+M Development Partners and Prudential purchased the property in May 2016 for $20 million.

Since then, 90 units have been renovated and the number of vacant apartments has dropped from 80 to 15. Half of the units are under a 20-year Section 8 contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (since March 2018) and another 75 are subsidized by the Newark Housing Authority (a 15-year contract), Moelis said. Residents pay about 30 percent of their income toward rent.

Moelis said upgrading Georgia King Village "requires a significant amount of resources" and owners with the money and willingness to make needed repairs.

As the city welcomes new investment and development after decades of stagnation, the need for Newarkers to find affordable and livable homes is higher than ever, the complex's owners say.

"People in Newark want to stay in Newark," Davis, of Prudential, said. "If you provide that space and ownership, they'll take it."

Hector Corchado, a former police officer in Newark, works as the regional director of security for L +M. He said management completed about 600 work orders in the first nine months, changed apartment locks and started to gain the trust of the community.

"It's been a transformative experience," he said. "The fact that you can live in a property that's safe and affordable that's rare in Newark."

Low-income projects in Newark are often at the center of tenant-landlord disputes over decrepit conditions. Moelis is hoping to create a space that residents consider home, partnering with the community to offer services and amenities that residents need.

Georgia King Village resident Larry Oliver with Sgt. Henry, who works for the building's 24-hour security team.

"Anything you deal with that has the word free is a good thing," resident Larry Oliver, 35, said of the free Wi-Fi. "We don't got to pay for cable anymore," he said, because now residents will be able to stream their favorite TV shows online.

Oliver, though, said he still had a request of management: What are the chances of central air conditioning?

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.