Buyer snaps up penthouses for $30 million

From today's SF Business Times, "Urban development pioneer Victor MacFarlane has created his own urban environment in San Francisco, buying all three penthouses at the new St. Regis condo/hotel tower for an estimated $30 million."

"MacFarlane's plans for the units -- whether he'll combine them to create one super-condo, will keep one or more separate as an investment, or will seek to flip any or all of them -- are unknown. Reached at the San Francisco office of MacFarlane Partners, he declined comment."

"At the St. Regis, his neighbors will include former vice president and presidential candidate Al Gore and his wife, Tipper. Prices for two-bedroom units there have reached $1.8 million."

"As a private pad, MacFarlane's penthouse would be in the same league with the priciest condo sales in New York. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch bought a Fifth Avenue co-op for $44 million a year ago, according to the New York Times, and a hedge fund manager is now reportedly poised to top that deal by $1 million."