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In securing the continuance, the Keuroghlians’ attorney, Karine Basmadjian, argued that the couple had closed escrow on a storefront office and were in the process of renovating it, after which they would move their office.

Despite the legal wrangling, and findings that the Keuroghlians are operating in violation of zoning code, neighbors have continued to complain about ongoing business operations there.

For their part, the Keuoghlians have called neighborhood complaints overblown and racially motivated, an accusation their neighbors have strongly denied.

Apartment owners draw lawsuit

Beverly Hills-based real estate firm StarPoint Properties, LLC, first caught the attention of city officials when dozens of residents of the company’s Montrose apartment complex turned out at a City Council meeting in May requesting protection from the company’s alleged attempts to illegally force tenants to move.

Their complaints sparked a five-month investigation by the city that culminated in a 33-count criminal complaint filed in October accusing StarPoint Properties of retaliatory actions against tenants and failure to pay relocation fees.

StarPoint, which deals exclusively in repositioning residential real estate assets, purchased the property at 2121 Valderas Drive in March for $17 million and immediately began construction to upgrade the units.

The work, which residents said made their units uninhabitable — coupled with raised rents and an allegedly illegal attempt by StarPoint to evict 20 residents — motivated tenants to show up at City Council meetings to lambaste the property owner and ask for city assistance.

If found guilty of all the counts alleged by the city, StarPoint could face about $30,000 in fines. StarPoint Properties is set to be arraigned on Jan. 11.

A dozen residents have filed their own complaints that have yet to be heard in small-claims court.

Adams Square mini park opens

After nearly a decade of planning, approval, disapproval, wrangling and final construction, the Adams Square mini park opened to an enthusiastic crowd on Nov. 12.

Widely acclaimed for its incorporation of a historic Streamline Moderne-style gas station, the park’s grand opening came with a history of tense arguments between shop owners, neighboring residents and historical preservationists over the park’s original design.