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For decades, Van Nuys Boulevard has been defined by its seemingly endless succession of car dealerships. Now, in what may be a sign of things to come, one local automobile empire has put one of its properties up for development. According to a document form the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee, a residential-retail complex is planned for a 4.5-acre property adjacent to the Orange Line Busway. The rectancular site - located at 5949 Van Nuys Boulevard - would birth a project consisting of 324 residential units, 17,000 square feet of commercial floor area and slightly over one acre of open space.

Earier this week, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles for a new mixed-use complex near the busy Wilshire/Vermont Metro station. The project, which is being developed by local real estate firm Century West Partners, would rise from an approximately .8-acre property at 621-643 South Vermont Avenue. Plans call for a seven-story structure, featuring 173 apartments, 12,000 square feet of commercial floor area and a 234-car parking garage. Proposed amenities include an on-site conference room, a fitness center and an outdoor pool and sun deck.

Vertical construction is complete for the Camden Hollywood, a new residential-retail complex from the Houston-based Camden Property Trust. The $140 million development, located at the intersection of Selma Avenue and Vine Street, consists of a seven-story structure which will feature 287 apartments, 40,000 square feet of ground-level reail space and 750 underground parking stalls. Designs from Los Angeles-based TCA Architects call for an extensive array of recreational amenities, including a a pool deck with an outdoor spa.

Heavy equipment is now stripping asphalt from an approximately three-acre property in Koreatown, clearing the way for a new residential-retail complex by real estate developer Century West Partners. The project, named for its location at the intersection of 6th Street and Virgil Avenue, will consist of a seven-story structure featuring 398 apartments and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Designs for 6th & Virgil come from Santa Monica-based Killefer Flammang Architects, whose website describes the building as a place to live, work and play.

The J.H. Snyder Company’s $70 million office tower at 1601 Vine Street may be little more than a hole in the ground at this point in time, but a new set of images will allow you to flash forward to view the finished product in 2016. Renderings from an official project website portray the building’s upper levels with the exposed ceiling and open environment which typifies most creative office space. The building’s lobby strives for a more refined look, with tile walls and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The center of gravity in the Los Angeles office market shifted south last year, when word surfaced that both Google and Yahoo would move their Southern California operations to the burgeoning Playa Vista neighborhood. Bolstered by this news, New York-based developer Tishman Speyer broke ground in February on a speculative office complex located midway between the future homes of the two tech behemoths. The campus - tentatively known as the Brickyard - is being designed by Michael Maltzan Architects, the Downtown-based firm whose previous work includes the adjacent Playa Vista Central Park.

Construction cranes are once again part of the low-slung Culver City skyline, as steel beams rise for a new office building at Sony Picture Studios. The project, which first emerged last year, is located on a former surface parking lot near the studio complex’s Overland Avenue gate. According to a notice distributed by the Culver City Planning Commission, plans call for an eight-story building featuring 218,000 square feet of office and support space.

It appears that work is getting underway on yet another large hotel near the world famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine. Earlier this week, an Urbanize reader noticed construction crews erecting a protective barricade around the perimeter of the vacant office building at 1800 Argyle Avenue. The five-story structure, sandwiched between Yucca Street and the Hollywood Freeway, is slated to be demolished for a new hotel managed by the San Franciso-based Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group.

As an integral next step in the “Expansion and Futurization Project” for the Los Angeles Convention Center, the City of Los Angeles, led by the L.A. Department of Convention and Tourism Development and the Bureau of Engineering, spearheaded a design competition to select an architect for the proposed renovation and expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Three final teams were selected and their work is now on public display beginning Wednesday, May 20th through June 4th, 2015.

After years of waiting, construction has finally kicked off on the Santa Cecilia Apartments, an affordable housing complex located near the Gold Line’s Mariachi Plaza Station. The project, which is being developed by McCormack Baron Salazar, would consist of a four-story structure featuring 80 dwellings and 4,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. According to a document from the State Treasurer’s Office, apartments in the low-rise building would be reserved for familes making 30-60% of the Los Angeles median household income, with monthly rents ranging from approximately $450 to $1,200 per month.