At a ceremony earlier this month, KB Home and South El Monte officials marked a small but noticeable milestone in the construction of a new housing development at the former Starlite Drive-In: the restoration of the property's 75-year-old marquee sign.

Starlite sign, before restorationKB Home

The sign is the last remaining component of the drive-in theater at 2540 Rosemead Boulevard, which KB Home acquired in 2023 for $24 million. That transaction occurred after the approval of a new development with 200 homes in a mix of three-story detached and attached structures. Plans call for a mix of two-, three-, and four-bedroom dwellings, as well as recreation spaces like a pool and a community building.

Construction for the project, named Starlite for the shuttered drive-in, is currently underway.

A sales website for the property lists homes selling for $879,490.

Exterior of AstaireKB Home

For a look back at the Starlite's most recent incarnation as a swap meet, see this 2014 piece published by KCET.

KB Home, the developer, recently announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters to the Phoenix area.

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