Construction got underway Friday for a new project located at the former site of the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center.

The detention center has been closed for six years and the dilapidated property was an eyesore to neighbors in the community. Spofford was plagued by violence, drugs, gangs and deplorable living conditions.

Community leaders gathered Friday in front of the site, which will soon be home to a community and recreation space, a childhood education center, a wellness and health facility as well as new housing.

"What we are going to have here is over 740 units of affordable housing," says Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.