It’s a sound most city officials didn’t expect to hear after the original project was scrapped when the housing market went south.

But five years later, the Richardson Lofts has opened its doors, offering up a mix of affordable and market-rate housing units for rent.

Tony Marchetta is Executive Director of the state Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency and he says mixed-use developments are the toughest to complete.

“The subsidies for mixed-use projects are much thinner so the economics are tougher to make.”

Marchetta says now it’s up to the market to determine its success.

“Not with subsidies, that the market recognizes that Newark is a place to invest money.”

The Booker Administration says it is committed to providing affordable and market-rate housing for all types of residents.