Where L.A. riots flared, a housing boom

That's one reason Dawond Rowles, a former Crips member, was hired at Las Brisas - to mitigate tensions between the gangs that demand to be employed when sites go up on their turf. "Around here they get along," he says. "I tell them to leave all their problems at the gate."

Despite obstacles such as crime - supervisors often hire 24-hour security to keep their equipment safe - development projects continue: Federal tax credits gave many developers the incentive to build. Awarded twice a year - in what Mr. Vaz says is an increasingly competitive process - they are then sold to banks and other corporations as investments.

At first, says Kerman Maddox, a longtime political analyst, the interest in South L.A. land "struck a lot of people as odd," he says. But "[developers] found out, lo and behold, 'I can make some money down here.' " Ever since, the rate has not seemed to slow.

As demand rises, prices do too. Peggy Hill, president of FAME Housing Corp., which concentrates on housing for the working poor and on relief for rampant overcrowding in parts of the city, says that as it has gotten more acceptable to build in South L.A., it has gotten harder to build affordable units.

"You can barely afford to do it anymore," says Ms. Hill. "The deal just doesn't pencil like it did five years ago."

Indeed, according to DataQuick Information Systems, home appreciation for 14 zip codes of South L.A. grew by 38 percent from 2003 to 2004. While the downtown area and the city overall outpaced the appreciation in South L.A. from 1999 to 2002, South L.A. caught up in 2003 and surpassed both last year. The median price in 2005 was $318,000.

For some residents, the appreciation could not come soon enough. Mr. Maddox says the investment he made on his home is finally on par with that of his peers who live elsewhere in L.A. "For years, it barely went up," he says. "You'd think, 'Wow, I have property, but I can't take out loans on my property like you guys can.' "

Many are hoping that the uptick in affordable housing is just the beginning of a story of renaissance in South L.A. In fact, experts say, housing stock often plays a pivotal role in the comeback of a community.

"If you don't have housing that communicates a message that this community is OK or a good place to be, there is no way to attract supermarkets," says Anne Habiby, senior vice president of Initiative for a Competitive Inner City in Boston. "Housing is an overriding and overpowering message."

A better housing stock could mean that more people from outside the community opt to move in. Developer Jeff Lee says that demand for market-rate housing is growing in South L.A. - both from within the community and beyond. This is especially true as residents are priced out of their current neighborhoods and commutes get longer.

"People don't want to spend two hours a day on the freeway," Mr. Lee says. "It's a lifestyle choice."

Already the building frenzy in South L.A. is providing shorter commutes than some thought imaginable just a few years ago. Booker Turner, a contractor, has been in construction for 35 years. During that time he has traveled as far as Bakersfield and San Diego for work. "Now," he says, on a break at a construction site about five minutes from his home, "I can work right here in the neighborhood."

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