SCV DRAWS FAMILIES, HOMES TOO LEADS COUNTY IN NEW HOUSING.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - More than half the new homes sold in Los Angeles County in the third quarter of 2000 were in the Santa Clarita Valley, where the building boom continues - and the median home price climbed toward $300,000.

Of the 709 new homes that sold countywide from July through September, 462 were in the Santa Clarita area and 138 in the Antelope Valley, according to a report released Tuesday by the Meyers Group, which tracks the real estate industry.

``The Santa Clarita Valley has matured - it's become very attractive and there's a much lower crime rate than the rest of L.A. County,'' said Dean Wehrli, managing director with the Meyers Group. ``It's more affordable than West L.A. and other parts of L.A. It's the place to go if you're a family.''

Prompting some concern among economists is the rising cost of housing. In Santa Clarita Valley, the average price of a new home in the third quarter rose to $298,990 - compared with the countywide average of $288,740 and $171,507 in the Antelope Valley.

``The median is creeping up,'' said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. ``That's good news for the developers, but for the average person, this is tough.''

The average county resident earns close to $33,500 a year. Based on a commonly used formula, home buyers can afford a house that is 2.5 times their annual salary - less than $90,000, Kyser said.

``Santa Clarita has moved out of affordable; it has moved to upper income,'' he said. ``It is no long entry-level housing.''

In the more affordable Antelope Valley , the median price of a home jumped 10.7 percent in the past year, according to the Meyers report.

``You're seeing medians creep up all over,'' Kyser said. ``This is a warning signal.''

Urban planners must look at ``in-fill'' areas, pockets within developed areas of the county that could be put to better use housing middle- and lower-income residents, Kyser said.

Wehrli of the Meyers Group points to the northern Santa Clarita Valley as an option with more affordable housing.

``In the growing areas - Valencia, Stevenson Ranch - a lot of buyers are being priced out of the market,'' he said. ``But there's still plenty of development in Castaic that's a little more affordable.''