A corner lot in east Bakersfield that's been vacant for the past 20 years will soon be the site to two new permanently affordable homes, the first to be built by the Bakersfield Community Land Trust.

Not much exists east of South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and East White Lane. But construction is planned to begin soon on new homes and a shopping center expected to transform the area.

New construction helped make up the difference last month as demand jumped for single-family homes in Bakersfield amid a shortage of older properties for sale. Purchases of newly built homes in ...