The New First Family of Real Estate
An $85 million L.A. mansion with a 500-worker renovation team. A $70 million London home with a bowling alley. The Ecclestone sisters are swiftly amassing a global property portfolio. The new generation of wealthy buyers.
Thu, 17 May 2012 20:29:07 EDT
Chelsea's Perennial Inspiration
If last year was about big, manly architectural statements at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, this year is about exploring the softer, more sensual side of gardening, with smells and sounds featuring heavily in show spaces.
Fri, 18 May 2012 11:49:56 EDT
'Painted Lady' for $2.295 Million
A Queen Anne Victorian, one of San Francisco's 'Painted Ladies' overlooking Alamo Square Park, is on the market for $2.295 million.
Thu, 17 May 2012 23:23:38 EDT
Foreclosures Show No Sign of Decline
The percentage of homeowners delinquent on their mortgages in the first quarter fell to the lowest level since the end of 2008, but the share of loans in foreclosure remains high.
Wed, 16 May 2012 20:05:22 EDT
If Kids Can Play, Will Mom Shop?
In their bid to keep shoppers from deserting to the Internet, more malls are adding sprawling play spaces.
Tue, 15 May 2012 22:26:48 EDT
An $85 million L.A. mansion with a 500-worker renovation team. A $70 million London home with a bowling alley. The Ecclestone sisters are swiftly amassing a global property portfolio. The new generation of wealthy buyers.
Thu, 17 May 2012 20:29:07 EDT
Chelsea's Perennial Inspiration
If last year was about big, manly architectural statements at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, this year is about exploring the softer, more sensual side of gardening, with smells and sounds featuring heavily in show spaces.
Fri, 18 May 2012 11:49:56 EDT
'Painted Lady' for $2.295 Million
A Queen Anne Victorian, one of San Francisco's 'Painted Ladies' overlooking Alamo Square Park, is on the market for $2.295 million.
Thu, 17 May 2012 23:23:38 EDT
Foreclosures Show No Sign of Decline
The percentage of homeowners delinquent on their mortgages in the first quarter fell to the lowest level since the end of 2008, but the share of loans in foreclosure remains high.
Wed, 16 May 2012 20:05:22 EDT
If Kids Can Play, Will Mom Shop?
In their bid to keep shoppers from deserting to the Internet, more malls are adding sprawling play spaces.
Tue, 15 May 2012 22:26:48 EDT
| affordable housing, George Lucas, lucasfilm, LucasFilmLtd, Marin County George Lucas Proposes Affordable Housing Plan Filed under: News,Celebrity Homes  By Les Christie The film emperor may be striking back. For 25 years, filmmaker George Lucas tried to persuade his Marin County, Calif., neighbors to let him build a digital production studio on his ranch there, but the area's residents thwarted the plan. So Lucas has come up with an alternative for his Grady Ranch property: To build low-income housing on it. In a letter posted online, Lucasfilm wrote, "It is with great sadness that Skywalker Properties has decided to pull its application to build a studio facility. Instead, the maker of some of the biggest box office successes of all time, including the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" franchises, intends to sell the property to the Marin Community Foundation (MCF), a nonprofit that has already funded more than 2,500 units of affordable housing and will explore options for developing Grady Ranch. Lucas had applied to the county planning commission for permits to build a 260,000 square-foot compound that would be used as a digital media production studio. The company claimed that the facilities would create about 600 high-paying jobs. "The level of bitterness and anger expressed by the homeowners in Lucas Valley has convinced us that, even if we were to spend more time and acquire the necessary approvals, we would not be able to maintain a constructive relationship with our neighbors," Lucasfilm said in its statement.
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The homeowners objected to several aspects of the project, according to Mary Feller, a member of a nearby homeowners association who attended many of the planning commission meetings. Among the concerns were traffic, noise and an outdoor stage that would be lit until 11:00 p.m. Feller said that the Marin Conservation League also raised environmental objections, particularly when it came to plans for the disposal of dirt and rocks that would be excavated for the project. The conservation league did not respond to a request for comment. Not all of Lucas Valley's residents were voting against the filmmaker, however. "The loss of that project is a major blow to the community," said Dale Miller, an area resident. "It would have provided a lot of jobs." Land to build on in the Lucas Valley area -- which was named after a 19th century rancher, not the 20th century filmmaker -- is rare thanks to strict "smart growth" policies that limits the building of new homes. These policies encourage building in higher density areas while keeping undeveloped land open. As a result, much of Marin has been set aside for parks and recreational areas. With the housing supply artificially compressed, home prices are high there. The median home price has hovered around $700,000 lately, according to Fred Silverman, a spokesman for the MCF. "Affordability is so bad that many people, even with moderate income, can't afford to live here," he said. It may seem as if the affordable housing project is a way for Lucas to stick it to his opposition, but Tom Peters, the CEO of the Marin County Foundation disagrees. "I know Lucas and checked with him on that point personally and directly. It was essential that I was convinced that it was not done out of spite. I would not have accepted the project if I thought it was," he said. Back in the late 1970s, when Lucas was planning Skywalker Ranch, a studio about 10 miles west of Grady Ranch, he ran into similar opposition from homeowners. Local residents "feared helicopters landing with celebrities and tour buses coming down Lucas Valley Road," said Lucasfilm in its letter. "None of their fears materialized." The company insists that Skywalker has been an exemplary neighbor and asset to the community, preserving 5,000 acres of woods and fields, establishing an 11-mile hiking trail, restoring a pond, helping wildlife to thrive, and providing aid to the local fire and rescue squads, not to mention creating hundreds of jobs. It's still unclear how the community will react to the housing plan for Grady Ranch. Mary Feller said she believes the community will have no objection. Peters, on the other hand, expects a fight. More from CNNMoney: Bank of America Offering Up to $30,000 for Short Sale Buying a Home Won't Get Much Cheaper For Sale: $50 Million Lake Tahoe Compound %Gallery-155243%
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A Riverfront Jaguar Lair
This 14,000-square-foot house on the St. Johns River is coming up for auction on May 24 with no minimum bid. The owners used to own the Jacksonville Jaguars football team, thus the painting of three jaguars that hangs over the fireplace in the living room and which comes with the house.
Thu, 17 May 2012 20:17:47 EDT
Living in 'Sunny' San Francisco
This 1,947-square-foot Victorian home with three bedrooms and three bathrooms in San Francisco's sunnier Noe Valley neighborhood is asking $1.7 million.
Thu, 10 May 2012 20:00:37 EDT
Loft Living in Berlin
A sprawling brick brewery, built in 1891, had been a graffiti-covered ruin before the owners helped convert it into a loft complex. This 3,300-square-foot unit with five bedrooms and three baths asks €1.6 million ($2.1 million).
Thu, 03 May 2012 18:58:49 EDT
Private Properties
Three New York apartments owned by the late heiress Huguette Clark sell for about $55 million; Michael and Roxanne Klein buy in San Francisco for $27 million; a Colorado ranch lists for $49.5 million.
Fri, 04 May 2012 12:10:21 EDT
Bidding Wars for Homes Are Back
A new development is catching home buyers off guard as the spring sales season gets under way: Bidding wars are back.
Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:17:29 EDT
A Canadian Island Retreat
This waterfront home is on Thetis Island, one of the southern Gulf Islands between the coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island.
Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:39:17 EDT
Private Properties
Two homes in Naples, Fla., sell for over $40 million each; Marc Jacobs's President Robert Duffy Lists in Savannah, Ga.; Donald J. Pilner sells in Miami Beach.
Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:49:20 EDT
This 14,000-square-foot house on the St. Johns River is coming up for auction on May 24 with no minimum bid. The owners used to own the Jacksonville Jaguars football team, thus the painting of three jaguars that hangs over the fireplace in the living room and which comes with the house.
Thu, 17 May 2012 20:17:47 EDT
Living in 'Sunny' San Francisco
This 1,947-square-foot Victorian home with three bedrooms and three bathrooms in San Francisco's sunnier Noe Valley neighborhood is asking $1.7 million.
Thu, 10 May 2012 20:00:37 EDT
Loft Living in Berlin
A sprawling brick brewery, built in 1891, had been a graffiti-covered ruin before the owners helped convert it into a loft complex. This 3,300-square-foot unit with five bedrooms and three baths asks €1.6 million ($2.1 million).
Thu, 03 May 2012 18:58:49 EDT
Private Properties
Three New York apartments owned by the late heiress Huguette Clark sell for about $55 million; Michael and Roxanne Klein buy in San Francisco for $27 million; a Colorado ranch lists for $49.5 million.
Fri, 04 May 2012 12:10:21 EDT
Bidding Wars for Homes Are Back
A new development is catching home buyers off guard as the spring sales season gets under way: Bidding wars are back.
Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:17:29 EDT
A Canadian Island Retreat
This waterfront home is on Thetis Island, one of the southern Gulf Islands between the coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island.
Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:39:17 EDT
Private Properties
Two homes in Naples, Fla., sell for over $40 million each; Marc Jacobs's President Robert Duffy Lists in Savannah, Ga.; Donald J. Pilner sells in Miami Beach.
Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:49:20 EDT
