Month: March 2018

(Credit: Wikimedia Commons) Housing development fees, which cities impose on builders to help offset the impact of construction, have been steadily rising in California compared to the rest of the country, which has seen an slight decrease. A University of California Berkeley study found that while L.A.’s development fees were lower than most of the…

Roger Birnbaum, Adam Levine and the homes Here’s a new meaning to the game of musical chairs. “Gravity” singer John Mayer is now moving into Adam Levine’s former home in Beverly Crest. Mayer paid $13.5 million to the Maroon 5 frontman for the 3.66-acre estate, Curbed reported. It is complete with five bedrooms, seven bathrooms,…

Rendering of Weingart Center’s proposed towers (Credit: JWDA) Born in Los Angeles, Andre Bueno has called many places home. He eventually moved to the Midwest, where he became a developer of affordable housing and a principal at Bueno Group. When he returned to L.A., he hoped to create affordable housing developments in a city in…

From left: Robert Reffkin, Maelle Gavet, Craig Anderson and Liming Zhao Two of Compass’ key executives — chief financial officer Craig Anderson and longtime chief technology officer Liming Zhao — are leaving the $2 billion startup, the firm said. Anderson’s departure comes just seven months after he joined the firm. The former COO and CFO…

Paris skyline (Credit: Wikimedia Commons) A pension fund representing 165,000 current and former Los Angeles County employees continues to diversify its investment strategy, with the latest move a $50 million infusion into distressed and underperforming real estate and debt in Western Europe. The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association committed the money to AG Europe…

Clockwise from top left: Richard Meier, One Waterline Square, 173-176 Perry Street, 165 Charles Street and the Getty Center When an actor is accused of groping, an audience can boycott his movies. When a politician engages in lewd behavior, he can be voted out of office. A famous architect, however, has his presence stamped all…

Roger Birnbaum and the estate in Beverly Hills (Credit: IMDB, WeAHomes) Roger Birnbaum, a studio producer and executive, is seeking a deep-pocketed buyer for his 8,000-square-foot home in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood in Beverly Hills. Birnbaum has listed the estate off-market at $33.75 million, Variety reported. That’s almost $14 million more than he paid just…

Clockwise from top left: Sotheby’s International CEO Phillip White, one of the 10 buildings at New York’s Essex Crossing megaproject, Frank Gehry has been tapped to design a performing arts center in Los Angeles, and Wynn Resorts secured a $800 million line of credit. Seattle leads US crane count, as Western states dominate construction activity,…

Intercontinental Hotel at Wilshire Grand (Credit: Wikimedia Commons) Los Angeles ranked sixth worldwide by number of five-star hotels, beating cities like Bangkok and Shanghai. California’s most populous city had 39 five-star hotels at the end of last year, according to a report by Knight Frank. London took the top spot with 75 five-star hotels in…

From left to right: Raul Munilla, Juan Munilla, Jorge Munilla, Lou Munilla, Fernando Munilla and Pedro Munilla From TRD Miami: A prominent Cuban-American, family owned construction business headed by an FIU graduate built the ill-fated pedestrian bridge that collapsed in Miami on Thursday, killing several people. Munilla Construction Management, founded more than three decades ago…