Updated after the jump with the company that owns the properties saying it will go forward with a smaller project.

That didn't take long.

After it was revealed that Saudi Prince had sneaky, piecemeal plans to connect adjacent properties near Beverly Hills and build a mansion the size of which L.A. has never seen, neighbors organized some serious opposition, including a skeptical city councilman.

Now the prince has pulled his plans for the project (say that over and over, fast).

Is this Disneyland, or a house?

Is this Disneyland, or a house?

Victory is yours, Save Benedict Canyon.

We found a little irony in the protest, however: Many of those who didn't want to see what they called a Hearst Castle-sized home go in on their block are super rich folks who only live in regularly sized mega-mansions of Benedict Canyon.

In fact one of the folks just saying no to the plans was onetime Hollywood superagent Michael Ovitz who, we're sure, lives in total land-use moderation. (Actually his place is said to be fairly humongous).

They have their limits.

Update: The owner of the parcels, known legally as Tower Lane Properties, LLC, sent us a statement indicating they'll move forward with a “substantially reduced project” in deference to neighbors' concerns.

The statement:

Tower Lane Properties, LLC, the owner of three lots consisting of 5.25 acres and located at 9933, 9937 and 9941 Tower Lane in Los Angeles, has elected to withdraw its application for a lot line adjustment from the City of Los Angeles Planning Department. The election to withdraw the application is made notwithstanding the Planning Department's full approval of the lot line adjustment and its recommended denial of the appeal filed by several neighbors. This action results in the cancellation of a hearing scheduled for April 14, 2011.

The withdrawal of the application is an expression of the owner's desire to address the concerns raised by surrounding neighbors regarding the amount of soil export and the number of truck trips. The project will proceed with the main residence, pool cabana, guest house and caretaker's residence, with the application to build the son's villa and staff quarters to be withdrawn in the coming days. The reduced project will total approximately 52,000 square feet.

Regarding some of the unpermitted walls and dirt fill on the 9933 lot, which were built and left by the previous owner, the project engineers are in the process of evaluating means to eliminate these matters without the need to demolish and haul the materials offsite.

The owner looks forward to working with the City of Los Angeles and nearby neighbors to pursue this substantially reduced project.

First posted at 11:55 a.m. Friday, April 8.

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