Spielberg Withdraws Application for Horse Ring
Director Steven Spielberg, facing a firestorm of publicity and opposition from neighbors, has withdrawn his zoning application to build a massive indoor horse ring in Brentwood for his wife, actress Kate Capshaw.
In a letter to Los Angeles zoning officials, a business manager for the director said Spielberg expects to resubmit an application for the controversial project after his representatives hear the concerns of residents in the Sullivan Canyon neighborhood. As a result, a public zoning hearing scheduled for Thursday has been canceled.
Spielberg, who bought the 2.8-acre property last year for $5.75 million, had been quietly seeking a series of zoning variances to build a 27,000-square-foot, five-story riding ring with a domed, retractable roof and underground horse stables, along with a 2,400-square-foot guest house and a three-story guardhouse on the site. The cost of the project is estimated at more than $7 million.
The Spielbergs, who reside in nearby Pacific Palisades, do not plan to live on the property, but rather to utilize it as a convenient location for Capshaw to ride and show her horses. The equestrian facility includes a viewing area.
A Times story last week revealing Spielberg’s plans and neighbors’ complaints set off a public outcry about the project, and was picked up by talk shows and news programs during the holidays.
Andy Spahn, an executive at Spielberg’s DreamWorks SKG, said Tuesday that concerns voiced by residents in the Times article prompted the application withdrawal late last week. Spielberg has hired the law firm Latham & Watkins to assist his efforts.
Neighbors, including film producer Brian Grazer and TV movie producer Roger Gimbel, have retained veteran land use lawyer John Murdock to fight the proposal. Murdock last year faced off against Latham & Watkins when he successfully obtained a court order blocking plans for an amphitheater as part of the expansion of the Getty Villa art museum in Pacific Palisades.
Murdock said Tuesday that he views the retrenchment by Spielberg as a partial victory.
“I interpret this as they’re having concerns about publicity, but that they also do genuinely want to talk about the issues that they may not have been aware of,” Murdock said.
Neighbors see the proposed equestrian ring as an imposing, hangar-like structure in an otherwise tranquil neighborhood of low-slung, ranch-style homes that could threaten their property values, hurt the area’s environment, and increase noise and traffic.
“It’s still a special-privilege issue,” said Gimbel, who lives next to the Spielberg land. “If I wanted to put an ice skating rink in my backyard, it wouldn’t be allowed.”
Henry Gradstein, a lawyer whose property borders Spielberg’s, said the proposal probably would have received city approval had the complaints not been made public. “I think they thought it was going to sail through, and it hit a wall when all of us hired a lawyer,” Gradstein said.
Spahn said, however, that it is premature to speculate on whether Spielberg will modify his plans. He said a new application probably will be filed within a few weeks after talks with neighbors.
While neighbors said they welcome such meetings, they remain skeptical.
“I’m very wary of it because the primary reason they bought the property was for this riding ring,” said Gimbel. “Even if they reduce the size, it would still be an eyesore. I don’t want to go out to my driveway and see a five-story building staring down at me.”
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.