Way back in 1875, the Bergamot Station in Santa Monica was actually a train stop for the Red Line that ran through Los Angeles to the Santa Monica Pier. Now the city of Santa Monica is trying to decide what to do in 2015 when the gallery space again becomes a train stop — this time for the new Expo Line. more ›

Paramount Studios, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue since 1926, is prepping one helluva production: A $700 million property upgrade that will happen over 25 years. The historic studios have called this the "Hollywood Project," according to the Hollywood Reporter. more ›

U2's guitarist, The Edge (aka David Evans), has joined other property owners and is suing state regulators "after they rejected a proposal to build a cluster of mansions in Malibu," reports ABC Local. The National Park Service is also opposed to the project saying the development would "scar the expansive ridgeline more ›

The California Coastal Commission on Thursday rejected the guitarist's proposal to build a five-mansion development on 156 hillside acres along the Malibu coast. The 8-4 vote by the commission put to rest years of contentious debate between city officials, residents and the beanie-wearing rock legend legally known as David Evans. more ›

Imagine the DTLA skyline including a pair of skyscrapers whose top levels are lit up with colorful flashing bulbs in a variety of imagery. That is what could happen in the stead of the almost-60-year-old Wilshire Grand Hotel, should the LA City Council vote to approve a proposed project backed by Korean Air that would see the erection of a 45-story hotel and companion 65-story office building, according to ABC7. more ›

U2's technology-obsessed guitar virtuoso David Evans aka "The Edge" is in the middle of a mansion-building brouhaha in Malibu. Evans is looking to build five, ridge-top homes on a property situated above Malibu, but the California Coastal Commission believes the project would violate state law saying "the development would ruin a wild area and scar hillsides visible from Pacific Coast Highway," reports ABC Local. more ›

As part of a package deal, Los Angeles' historic Union Station will soon have new owners, the Fort Worth, Texas-based TPG Capital, according to CurbedLA. The deal was announced yesterday, involving Denver-based ProLogis selling Union Station and "numerous other properties for $505 million" to TPG. more ›

Majestic Realty and AEG are currently battling for gridiron supremacy, both builders hoping for the honor of attracting the NFL to Los Angeles. more ›

Is life in Glendale boring? While the existence of Porto's Bakery suggests NO, a citywide survey says YES, according to the Glendale News-Press. The article reports that despite culturally rich neighborhoods, busy businesses, mega shopping complexes and a positive reputation, The Big G's low profile has registered more like a no profile in a survey of 209 residents, 200 non-residents and 128 civic leaders. more ›

Eli Broad may be bringing his museum to Grand Avenue and a new civic center park may be underway, but the massive $3 billion Grand Avenue Project is not going to start in 2011 as planned. Developer Related Cos. wants a two-year extension on the start date, saying that obtaining financing in this weak economy is not panning out, according to the LA Times. more ›

Target is not just taking heat for its large political donation to an anti-gay candidate, its plan to bring a store to Hollywood and Western has drawn enough fire that it's going back to the drawing board, despite approval by the L.A. City Council in June. Facing lawsuits, the company will develop en environmental impact report (EIR), which was never done for the 74-foot store at Hollywood and Western, according to Curbed LA, which digs deep into the issue. more ›

First of all, it might be news to some that there is a plan in the works to tear down the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. However, the plan is not only to get rid of the music venue styled to look like a tin shack, but to also get rid of two apartment buildings and replace the whole works with "four structures housing 149 hotel rooms, 40 condos, affordable housing units, commercial and entertainment space, and underground parking," explained CurbedLA. more ›

L.A. City Councilmember Paul Krekorian who represents a large swath of the San Fernando Valley -- from Sherman Oaks to Shadow Hills -- has been in office for six months now. Today the Valley-based Daily News today gave him good ratings: "In City Hall, Krekorian has proven to be a thoughtful leader. He hasn't been a grandstander or a go-along voter. He was willing to buck the City Hall machine by voting against the DWP electrical rate increase..." more ›

It looks like the developers behind a major housing and retail project next to the Sherman Oaks Galleria are gearing up to take their case to the public. On a newly launched Facebook fan page, proponents ask viewers to imagine something -- anything! -- in place of a large dirt field currently found between the corner of Sepulveda and Camarillo and the 405/101 freeway interchange. more ›

The City Council has given their approval to a development project that would put a controversial 3-story Target at the corner of Sunset and Western in Hollywood, according to CurbedLA. The strip mall property is currently home to a vacated Farm Fresh Ranch Market and a CVS Drugstore. more ›

It's once more into the starting gates for retail development mogul Rick Caruso, who will enter into talks today with the new owners of the Santa Anita Park, reports the Pasadena Star-News. They may opt to revive a plan for an upscale retail project in the racetrack's parking lot which had been voided five years ago when the proposal was found to not be in the best financial interest for the racetrack itself. more ›

There are already visions of doing it in Hollywood, Santa Monica and Ventura. And Seattle has already done it. But since 2008, thanks to a group of interns and the support of Caltrans and other agencies, there's also a vision to cap a freeway, placing a park above, in downtown Los Angeles. more ›

The Mouse is on the move again, this time going bigger and, ideally, better for two new projects in the area. more ›

The new Whole Foods Market in Tarzana made its debut yesterday with a ribbon-cutting (bread-breaking) ceremony and event attended by Mayor Villaraigosa and many more. There are high hopes the anchor tenant of the Village Walk mixed-used development will invigorate the community, reports the Daily News. more ›

A 17,750-acre piece of land in Palmdale purchased in the early 1970s by Los Angeles World Airports could find renewed purpose if it is developed as a solar power plant, reports the LA Times. more ›

Across Figueroa from the Staples Center and catty-corner to L.A. Live is a property that could someday be L.A. Central. Originally set to be home of two towers--53 and 37 stories--over 850 market-rate units, a 222-room hotel and 250,000 square feet of retail, the project has seen trouble in past years, but plans are still afoot, even if a bit scaled back reports Eric Richardson at blogdowtown. Today, the property owner of the four-acre site said they have extended financing for the project. more ›

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency yesterday announced that Los Angeles has the "greatest number of energy efficient buildings that merited the EPA’s Energy Star in 2009." But this is the "Los Angeles" as in the L.A. region, which apparently includes San Diego. more ›

It didn't take long for the recently elected 2nd District Councilmember Paul Krekorian to start work the moment he was confirmed last Tuesday. He quickly introduced a motion "that would call for tougher development restrictions and seek to limit the scope of SB 1818," the state law that strips local municipal zoning codes and allows higher density with less restrictions (watch this great video example), on a project within his district, according to OurLA. more ›

It was just a year ago that wealthy philanthropist Eli Broad came to save the day at MOCA by offering the museum a much-needed bailout to help keep it on its feet. By summer, however, the Broad Foundation had begun to chatter publicly about future cultural endeavors, namely a museum of contemporary art of their own. At the time, "Broad said that the museum 'is going to happen' and that it's merely a matter of timing," reported the LA Times. Broad was enthused about having the space in 90210: "Our first choice is the Beverly Hills site." more ›

For a few years now, a big swath of open space at Laurel Canyon and Mullholand Drive has been up for sale. The current owner has been nice and patient enough to sell the land instead of turning it into a housing development, but only under a payment plan with goal dates to be met. The next date is August 17th and the Mountain Recreation and Conservation Authority is $145,000 short. Paul Edelman, the Chief Ecologist for both the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, a state agency, and the Authority, has made a case for Los Angeles to put money behind saving this land on the Huffington Post: more ›

Where there's a will, there's a way. For years, the owner of Annandale Canyon in Pasadena wanted to develop his property into 24 luxury homes. But neighbors fought it, even imposing a tax on themselves to raise over a million dollars in order to assist the city in purchasing the land. In total, it was sold for $6.2 million with funds coming from the tax, a Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy grant (even though the land is not in the SaMos, it's in the the San Rafael Hills.) and other sources. Now the 20.6-acre site and an additional 31,000 square foot neighboring property will be used by advocates as a template for other acquisitions in Pasadena, according to the Pasadena Star News. more ›

A new mixed use tower to across the street from the LA Convention Center was approved today by City Council. It will be New York City-based architect Daniel Libeskind's first for Los Angeles and the savvy architectural readers at Curbed LA are mostly giving a thumbs up. The building, located at 1340 S Figueroa Street, will include " include 273 residential units stacked atop an eight-level podium, restaurants and a spa," according to the LA Times. more ›

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood visited Los Angeles last week and took a tour of the Gold Line Eastside Extension, which is expected to open soon (no date had been announced, though). The line will run between Union Station and East LA. "This whole rail line is way ahead what we are talking about in Washington," exclaimed LaHood. "This is what we mean by livable communities. You build it and they will come." more ›

The Grove and Americana developer Rick Caruso had another project approved today by the LA City Council. A new 88-unit apartment complex with a Trader Joe's on the first floor will be built at Burton Way and La Doux Road near the La Cienega/San Vicente intersection. "Between this project, and the recently completed SLS Hotel, the neighborhood is definitely seeing some significant changes," noted Curbed LA, who has project renderings. more ›

It was April 17th, 2006 when a contractor working on a Bel Air home looked over into Stone Canyon and swore he saw a bear. He immediately reported it to the LA Department of Water & Power, who own and operate the reservoir and in turn told the California Department of Fish & Game. more ›