Of the 79 units being auctioned off last night at the Rowan Lofts in Downtown Los Angeles, 63 of those found new potential owners, finds Curbed LA who was there: "The most expensive unit sold today was a penthouse that was originally priced at $785,000--it sold for $534,000. The minimum bid on that unit was $490,000. The three least expensive units sold for $207,000--two were originally priced at $335,000 and one at $317,900, respectively, and had minimum bids of $195,000." The 63 number could change as some people may drop out of the process. more ›

Eric Richardson from blogdowntown was lucky enough to win a little lottery that allowed him to travel the construction elevators up the 26th and 45th floors of LA Live's 56-story hotel and condo tower. Not bad, save for the parking lots below. more ›

An update on the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood where the construction of a condo's underground parking lot that will come within six yards of the studio's underground recording studio. more ›

Capitol Records was hoping the plan for a 16-story condo building next door to their iconic Hollywood & Vine tower would not go through. They're worried that construction of an underground 242-space parking lot and vibrations from traffic will cause damage. It "will interfere with and potentially ruin the operation of the unique echo chambers and sound studios at the Capitol Records tower next door," the record company said in a statement. more ›

Starting last month, the Beverly Hills City Council voted to approve a series of amendments to city ordinances and laws, including the General Plan -- the bible of city planning. The changes were set to help pave the way for the Waldorf-Astoria hotel and condos, which will replace the current Beverly Hilton with a 170-room, 12-story hotel and an additional 110 condos that are said to be each sold for an average of $5.6 million (Trader Vics is opening a downtown location). Many residents of Beverly Hills, already sick of traffic and congestion, are opposed to the dense project, which is slated for the city's most congested intersection. So yesterday, after a 20-day petition drive, LAist Photographer Tom Andrews followed as they marched to city hall and delivered around 3200 signatures to place the issue on the November ballot. If enough signatures are verified, the fate of the project will be left up to Beverly Hills voters. more ›

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Last night was the unveiling of Madrone's architecture and all 44 of the floor plans for the 180-unit development to potential condo buyers (Curbed was there too). Ranging from around $400K to over $1-million, the Madrone's primo Hollywood and La Brea spot is hot, considering that it is in a transit friendly neighborhood/corridor, LAXART will be curating outdoor art and the complex's first floor will be retail (some hopefuls speculate that one tenant will be Trader Joe's). more ›

The NoHo Arts District is looking up as the opening of the NoHo 14 Lofts nears and the arrival (finally!) of the two-story Bank Heist restaurant/bar. Small steps, small steps, right? Well, yesterday, the "Metro board approved negotiating with Lowe Enterprises for [a $1 billion development] massive mixed-use project," according to the Daily News today. Christened as the NoHo Art Wave, the development located over and around the Metro Orange and Red Line stations will... more ›

That condo boom got a lot of people scared and concerned. Once kicked out, where can one afford a living space in the same area with a decent price? That proved to be difficult for many, so they fought and thanks to the leadership of the Coalition for Economic Survival, there be some changes in this town. What follows is from their e-mail newsletter: more ›

From the most recent Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association letter: Hamburger Hamlet: As previously reported, the owner of ths Hambuger Hamlet building is seeking to sell a major portion of the parking lot to a developer for a condominium project. Because of a dispute with the owner of the remainder of the parking lot, the owner recently fenced off a portion of the parking lot creating chaos for customers and visitors. At a recent meeting... more ›