BATON ROUGE - The Elm Grove Gardens apartment complex in Scotlandville has been locked up and abandoned for three years after falling into disrepair and becoming a haven for criminal activity.

"It was very rowdy, shooting all day and night. I would be in my backyard, I would have to duck and stay in the back of my storage house," homeowner Frank Brown said.

Brown and his wife Katie have been living near Elm Grove since the 1970s and are glad to hear it will be demolished.

"Tearing it down is the best thing they could do, because it was run-down," Katie Brown said.

The Capstone at Scotlandville is being built in its place, a new $23 million, 84-unit
housing complex that will have educational and job programs to help get your finances in order.

A groundbreaking was held Thursday.

"Today, we see a reinvestment on a community disinvested over a period of 30 years," EBR Housing Authority CEO J. Daniels said.

Daniels spearheaded the project with public and private funding as a way to give families a way out of poverty.

"Education is a key way to combat poverty, so we want to make sure we are playing our role as a community. We are availing our family of all those opportunities," Daniels said.

Construction on Capstone is expected to be complete in 18 months, and the apartments will be rented on sliding scale and will open to all residents regardless of income.