SOUTH-CENTRAL : Affordable-Housing Site Breaks Ground

The stock of affordable housing in south Los Angeles was given a boost recently when ground was broken on a 41-unit apartment complex on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The three-story King Apartments at 1750 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. will consist of one-, two- and three-bedroom units in a fully landscaped complex with a multipurpose community room. Rents will range from $425 to $638.

Total development costs are estimated at $3.8 million, with more than $1.7 million coming from the Century Freeway Housing Program. The program was created by a court order in 1979 to replace roughly 8,000 housing units demolished to make way for the freeway. So far, the program has overseen construction of more than 2,800 replacement units in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The remaining financing for King Apartments comes from bank loans and tax credits. What makes the King complex different from other apartment developments is the free after-school tutoring program to be offered to young residents.

Youths involved in the EEXCEL--Educational Excellence for Children with Environmental Limitations--program will receive tutoring from USC graduate students. EEXCEL participants who receive high marks in high school will be considered for a four-year tuition scholarship to USC.

Information: (310) 419-2313.