"Carmen Hill, an adjunct real estate professor at Cerritos College
and a local advocate for the opportunity zone program,
has observed a lot of investment happening in opportunity zones
where gentrification has already taken hold and
where steady streams of wealthier residents are flowing in.

She pointed to the opportunity zone that includes
 the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall.
The mall sold in August for more than $140M with entitlements
to add housing, offices and green space on the 42-acre site.
 

'Maybe 10 years ago that area was struggling,'
Hill said, but now, 'they’ve got houses selling
for over a million dollars there.'"

"CitiHousing Real Estate Services broker Carmen Hill said the strength of the multifamily market has also spurred redevelopment in many places, such as in her home market of South Central LA, and will continue to do so.

"'Many of the outdated commercial buildings are being demolished for multifamily apartment projects due to the high demand for rentals because of high single-family housing prices' she said."

Carmen Hill, as a real estate broker and past President of the MultiCultural Real Estate Alliance, does not support the "build to rent" programs described in this article.

"If households can afford to pay $2500-$3000+ to rent a house, then there are many community resources that can help them qualify to buy a house: credit counseling, down payment assistance programs, training programs offered by community colleges to boost income, etc..."