Smart-home neighborhood being built in Playa Vista's 'Silicon Beach'

PLAYA VISTA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- We live in an age of smart devices: smartphones, smart cars.

And now, even smart houses.

But what about an entire smart neighborhood?

Now, there is one being built here in Southern California.

Brookfield Residential is building a "smart home" neighborhood in Playa Vista - nicknamed Silicon Beach after some of the biggest tech companies have moved in.

This is a new generation of smart-home construction, with a wide range of features available at the touch of a button. Lights, climate control, security - all controlled from one device.

"In my old house, it used to take us 20 minutes to lock up the house before we went to bed," said Brookfield COO Adrian Foley. "Now with this home, I go to my phone and I hit the good night button. And what you'll see is the lights go off. You'll see the front door lock. You'll see the shades going down behind you."

About 15 years ago, Foley said, this kind of technology might have cost $20,000 to install. Today, it's less than $3,000.

It's a growing trend, with 21.8 million "smart homes" in North America at the end of last year.

Berg Insight Research predicts that number will grow to 73 million by 2021.

With so much technology, there are also concerns about privacy and hacking.

These homes are equipped with Apple's "home kit" security platform.

"Companies like Apple have made that a priority and we would like to stand behind that protection that they offer," Foley said.

This house is one of 66 in the area that start at about $2.5 million.