In 2018, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) took action against the previous owner of the housing complexes, declaring them an absentee landlord and requiring them to pay $800,000 in civil penalties for failing to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing conditions to residents. HUD provides project-based Section 8 rental assistance for 350 units at Garden Spires and 112 units at Spruce Spires.

"For the last two years, this administration has driven efforts and worked diligently with public and private partners to rehabilitate the Garden Spires and Spruce Spires apartment complexes, which had become nearly uninhabitable to their tenants, a public health hazard to our community, and a serious public safety threat," said Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka. "Today we can report to our city in general and to the 650 households of these buildings in particular, that after 18 months, the properties have been restored."

Mayor Baraka, Lt. Gov. Oliver, and former American League All-Star and Most Valuable Player Mo Vaughn, a managing principal of the New York-based Omni affordable housing development firm, announced the more than $172-million project on Sept. 5, 2018 after it acquired the two properties.

State funds provided by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) and New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) to the property owner were used for extensive interior and exterior renovations, which included new roofs, flooring and lighting; new kitchen cabinets, appliances and fixtures; new bathroom vanities, sinks, and bath enclosures; and new building mechanical systems including hot water heaters, boilers and electrical panels, as well as a cogeneration system at Garden Spires. A 30-year tax abatement by the City of Newark and the city's acceptance of lowered PILOT payments helped make the project viable.

No tenants were displaced during the rehabilitation project, which began in the fall of 2018 and took 18 months to complete.

Garden Spires, which was built in 1963, consists of two 20-story buildings located on First Street adjacent to Route 280 that provide 544 apartments for families. NJHMFA contributed $59.4 million in financing from its Conduit Bond program to the $135.3 million rehabilitation project for Garden Spires. In addition to the previously stated improvements, work also included repaving the parking lot, repairing sidewalks and walkways, adding community rooms and laundry facilities, and upgrading the security alarm system, including the installation of about 400 DVR surveillance cameras.

Spruce Spires, which was built in 1920, has 112 apartments spread across four four-story buildings and one five-story building located on Spruce Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. NJHMFA awarded $16.3 million in financing from the Conduit Bond program for the $37.3 million rehabilitation project for Spruce Spires. Work also included the repair of sidewalks and walkways, upgrades to the security alarm system, and the installation of approximately 100 DVR surveillance cameras.

In addition to financing from the Conduit Bond program, Omni America, LLC also received from NJHMFA 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits, which provided the Garden and Spruce Spires projects with $49.1 million in private equity.