Prince Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz al Saud, son of the Saudi King Abdullah, has decided to whittle down plans for his Benedict Canyon mega-compound, from an unwieldy and neighbor-enraging 85,000 square feet down to a a manageable 52,000 square feet. After the LA Times published an article last month about the neighborhood war stemming from the proposal, the property's former owner confirmed that the land is now owned by the prince. Michael Ovitz (the CAA co-founder and art collector who owns a 28,000 square foot house nearby) and Martha Karsh were said to be the ringleaders of the neighborhood protest. The LAT now reports that the prince has withdrawn his application for the huge compound, which included a 42,681 square foot main house and several slightly smaller buildings, and plans to submit the more modest plan in the next few weeks. The new project would still have the main house, a 4,400 square foot guest house, a 2,800 square foot caretaker's house, and a 3,300 square foot pool building. The son's villa and staff quarters would be eliminated (where will the son and the staff stay??). The neighbors' appeal of the old plans was scheduled to go before the Planning Commission Thursday and city planning staff had recommended that it be denied. [Photo of the site via Save Benedict Canyon]
· Saudi prince pulls plans for Benedict Canyon mega-mansion [LAT]
· Saudi prince downsizes plan for LA-area mansion [AP]
· Michael Ovitz vs. Saudi Royal in BHPO Mega-Compound Fight [Curbed LA]
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