Photos by Jason Ruiz. 

The ribbon cutting for a new apartment complex located just north of downtown Long Beach took place yesterday, with Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez on hand for the ceremony.

The complex currently counts 40 percent of its space already leased and waiting to move in, according to Chamber of Commerce Vice President Jeremy Harris, supplementing the recent upswing in development of higher end downtown apartment complexes in the area.

“This just adds to the vitality of our downtown,” said Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez at the ribbon cutting event. “As you can see, if you’re driving around downtown, you see Pine Avenue just getting an uplift, the renaissance going on, the community is getting engaged, there’s young professionals moving into the neighborhood and now Urban Village is a part of that. We’re very excited to have it in the First District, in downtown Long Beach.”

According to the Urban Village complex’s website, prices for each space range from $1,650 for a studio to $2,620 for a two bedroom, two bath apartment.

Harris called the new apartment complex a “great opportunity” for people to live in the area and work at nearby businesses.

“The chamber of commerce of course is always looking for businesses coming to Long Beach, looking for business and helping them within Long Beach, but you can’t do that if you don’t have a place to live near the businesses,” said Harris.

CEO of AMCAL, a mixed-use real estate developer, Percy Vaz, said the complex’s close proximity to Memorial Hospital, St. Mary’s, Molina Healthcare Center and the Port has made for a significant demand for the housing at Urban Village.

“We’ve been very surprised by the demand for this product,” he said.