Joel Russell

Aug 5, 2024 | therealdeal.com | Emily Landes |Joel Russell

In the continued evolution of return-to-work policies, employers appear to have the upper hand, according to data from Avison Young’s new Office Busyness Index. That particularly applies to the Bay Area’s tech-heavy markets on the first day of the workweek. The San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley markets logged 50 percent more in-office activity on Mondays this June than they did a year ago, according to Avison Young, a bigger increase than any other market in the country.

Jun 10, 2024 | therealdeal.com | Kevin Cifuentes |Joel Russell

Two Sonoma real estate developers have exchanged lawsuits on the same day, each accusing the other of financial misconduct. Kenneth Mattson and Timothy LeFever are joint owners of LeFever Mattson Property Management, which owns multiple properties in California, mostly in Sonoma County. The two men were friends in elementary school and served as best men in each other’s weddings, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

May 21, 2024 | therealdeal.com | Kevin Cifuentes |Isabella Farr |Joel Russell

In 2021, Johnny Lu and Yaojan Liu were raising money from investors to build 452 apartments in Playa Vista, on the edge of the 405 freeway. The two men behind TA Partners already had some financing — a $13.5 million loan from local lender Partners Capital Solutions. But when TA Partners was raising money, one group of investors claimed they never knew about the debt, and that the loan never went towards the project at 6055 West Center Drive.

Mar 11, 2024 | therealdeal.com | Kevin Cifuentes |Joel Russell

Plans byAlign Real Estate to top a 65-story highrise with a “floating cube” over San Francisco may be stuck at the bottom of the glass. The locally based firm, led by Jason Chadorchi, appears to have paused its proposed 711-unit apartment tower at 620 Folsom Street, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. As of last fall, the city’s Planning Department has marked the SoMa development “on hold,” according to records reviewed by the newspaper.

Aug 3, 2023 | gazettenet.com | Joel Russell

Rich valley farmlands, lush hilltown forests and dramatic mountains: These open spaces in western Massachusetts are so familiar that we easily take them for granted. Yet, it’s only through the concerted efforts of many individuals and organizations that so many of these natural areas have been protected from development. In fact, Massachusetts is the birthplace of the modern land conservation movement. For more than 130 years, the Commonwealth has been a leader in conserving its lands and waters.