Battle over mega-mansion in Benedict Canyon

Well, we've just discovered what too much is in the uber-wealthy 90210 community: It's a planned 85,000-square foot compound that includes a 42,681-square-foot main house, a 27,000-square-foot "son's villa" (whatever that is), a 4,400-square-foot guest house, a 5,300-square-foot staff quarters, and a 2,700-square-foot gatehouse. Nearby residents are in an uproar over the project. From the LAT:

"It's commercial-scale construction, like building a Wal-Mart in the heart of a quiet residential neighborhood," said Martha Karsh, who lives with her husband, Bruce, just east of the site. In an area known more for gated estates than block parties, the controversy has so far united more than 150 residents. Through e-mails, house gatherings and phone calls, opponents have built support for their cause. Next, they plan to mount a door-to-door campaign and launch a website.

They seem to have a worthy adversary, one with deep pockets and expensive lawyers and who may even be a senior Saudi prince. Instead of disclosing his identity, the owner has created a special business, Tower Lane Properties Inc., to purchase three adjoining plots for $12 million. A team of lawyers, architects, intermediaries and sales brokers have been hired to manage the project, and all have signed secrecy agreements. "We're not trying to be deceptive," said attorney Marc E. Petas, a Tower Lane Properties representative in Los Angeles. "It's just a matter of maintaining privacy."

The president of Tower Lane Properties is a former brother-in-law to Saudi King Abdullah and uncle to Prince Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz al Saud, one of King Abdullah's sons. So we're talking really big money, even by Benedict Canyon standards. Speaking of big money, Bruce Karsh is co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management and named by the Business Journal as one of the 50 wealthiest Angelenos, with a net worth of just under $1 billion.