Spielberg's ranch plans rattle locals

LOS ANGELES - Judging from the reaction of some homeowners, you'd think Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg was planning to construct a real-life Jurassic Park in their neighborhood.

The movie director faces a zoning battle next month over his plans to build a large equestrian facility in a rustic residential community of Los Angeles for his actress-wife, Kate Capshaw, an avid horseback-riding enthusiast, about a half mile from the couple's home.

A group of local residents, including two prominent Hollywood producers, has banded together to fight the proposed five-story building, which they say would stick out like a sore thumb and hurt property values in their low-key but upscale neighborhood.

"It's outrageous that someone has the wherewithal to unload his stable in another neighborhood," attorney John Murdock, who was retained by opponents of the project, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Murdock's clients in the Sullivan Canyon area include veteran TV producer Roger Gimbel and movie producer Brian Grazer, whose credits include the current box office hit "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

Spielberg's plans call for a 27,000-square-foot indoor riding ring with a domed, retractable room built into a hillside on top of underground parking and stables, Murdock said. The project also includes an outdoor paddock, a multilevel four-bedroom "bunkhouse" and a separate gatehouse for security staff.

"It's out of keeping with the neighborhood and out of proportion to the surroundings," Gimbel, who lives next door to the property, told the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper put the estimated cost of the project at more than $7 million.

Spielberg, director of such films as "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List," lives about a half-mile away and "over a hill" from the 2.8-acre parcel of land he bought in 1999 for $5.75 million, Murdock said.

The director's longtime publicist, Marvin Levy, acknowledged that some homeowners are upset about Spielberg's plans but said the director is listening to complaints and hopes most neighbors will ultimately drop their objections.

"Once they actually see what's going to be done and have a chance to consider everything that's happening, we think they're going to be for it," Levy said.

A hearing has been set for Jan. 4 before the Los Angeles Zoning Administration, which will consider Spielberg's requests for several zoning variances, Murdock said

The project is "a complete distortion of zoning requirements" in the neighborhood, which consists of historic, single-story California ranch houses developed by Cliff May, the late originator of that architectural style, Murdock said.

Spielberg's proposal already has cleared one key hurdle, with the city Planning Department tentatively agreeing to waive requirements for an environmental impact report subject to certain conditions. Among those, Murdock said, are requirements to remove manure from the site at least twice a week, clean stalls daily and install an automatic insect control system.