SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Construction has begun on a new affordable housing development that will bring dozens of apartments and commercial space to a Syracuse neighborhood.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that ground has been broken on the $16 million construction project in the city's Northside section. The Democrat says the Butternut Crossing development will include six new buildings and a seventh structure that will be rehabilitated.

More than a dozen dilapidated buildings have been demolished to make way for the project, part of the state's ongoing five-year, $20 billion plan to provide affordable housing across New York.

The Syracuse project is located directly across the street from the St. Joseph Health Center campus.

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