Prince Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz al Saud Is One Step Closer
Prince Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz al Saud, son of the Saudi King Abdullah, has won a victory to complete his once estimated 85,000 sq foot compound. He decided to down size plans for his Benedict Canyon Compound, from 85,000 square feet down to roughly 52,000 square feet. By doing this he was "technically" in compliance with the law.
The rule at issue is City Building Code sec. 91.7006.8.2 which requires projects that are subject to subdivision to apply for a tentative tract map prior to grading on sites greater than 60,000 square feet. The city and certain neighbors argued that this provision is applicable to the Saudi prince's project even though no subdivision was proposed or contemplated. Hence, they argued the project requires a discretionary review and public hearings.
The court found that the code section is not applicable to the project and ordered the city not to apply this provision to the project. The proposed project consists of three single family homes on three separate legal lots on Tower Lane.
With this defeat, the Benedict Canyon residents will be dealing with a long time of congestion during construction of this project.
According to the Save Benedict Canyon Association website;
"The Prince has refused to provide a stable project description for the proposed construction at the property, but it is clear that the project will be MASSIVE. Various versions of the project have ranged as high as 85,000 square feet.
The construction of this mega-mansion will mean over 100,000 truck trips hauling rubble and construction materials up and down narrow canyon roads causing nightmarish traffic congestion for over three years. The project will also bring ear splitting noise through the canyons from on-site rock and debris crushing, compromised neighborhood access for fire and other emergency vehicles, significant air pollution, and irrevocable degradation of the canyon environment.
The Prince’s property has already been the subject of extensive illegal grading, illegal retaining walls, and illegal construction activities for years. The City has issued 13 orders to comply over several years citing serious safety hazards created on the property. The landowner has failed to remedy ANY of the conditions, and once started illegal construction that had to be blocked by a LA Department of Building and Safety “stop work” order. "
Meanwhile, the court's tentative decision, which became final last week notes that "the City has not yet even completed its review of the project, and several issues remain outstanding." Those include private street approval and access to the site (the city signed off on access under a previous owner, but the neighbors have challenged that), grading close to protected trees, and drainage plans (the Bureau of Engineering has removed the project's clearance for drainage). Some of the issues could require discretionary review, which means the court won't order the city to hand over building permits just yet.
The court found that the code section is not applicable to the project and ordered the city not to apply this provision to the project. The proposed project consists of three single family homes on three separate legal lots on Tower Lane.
With this defeat, the Benedict Canyon residents will be dealing with a long time of congestion during construction of this project.
According to the Save Benedict Canyon Association website;
"The Prince has refused to provide a stable project description for the proposed construction at the property, but it is clear that the project will be MASSIVE. Various versions of the project have ranged as high as 85,000 square feet.
The construction of this mega-mansion will mean over 100,000 truck trips hauling rubble and construction materials up and down narrow canyon roads causing nightmarish traffic congestion for over three years. The project will also bring ear splitting noise through the canyons from on-site rock and debris crushing, compromised neighborhood access for fire and other emergency vehicles, significant air pollution, and irrevocable degradation of the canyon environment.
The Prince’s property has already been the subject of extensive illegal grading, illegal retaining walls, and illegal construction activities for years. The City has issued 13 orders to comply over several years citing serious safety hazards created on the property. The landowner has failed to remedy ANY of the conditions, and once started illegal construction that had to be blocked by a LA Department of Building and Safety “stop work” order. "
Meanwhile, the court's tentative decision, which became final last week notes that "the City has not yet even completed its review of the project, and several issues remain outstanding." Those include private street approval and access to the site (the city signed off on access under a previous owner, but the neighbors have challenged that), grading close to protected trees, and drainage plans (the Bureau of Engineering has removed the project's clearance for drainage). Some of the issues could require discretionary review, which means the court won't order the city to hand over building permits just yet.
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