Saudi Prince Suing Los Angeles Over Mansion Project

Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz is looking to have a sprawling mansion built just outside of Beverly Hills, and he’s willing to sue to city of Los Angeles to make it happen.

Reuters reports that the Saudi prince recently sued the city to speed up the mansion project, which the prince claims was slowed down due to opposition from Californian neighbors. According to the claim, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, neighbors pressured the city to slow down the project by subjecting it to an environmental impact study.

“Petitioner carefully designed the project to minimize impacts on the environment and the surrounding area,” the filing reads. “The project is therefore ‘by right’ because it complies in all respects with all applicable building and zoning ordinances and regulations and requires no discretionary approvals.”

The Saudi prince purchased the five-acre property back in 2009, and applied for permits to construct three residences on the land. The city has yet to issue the permits, which has kept the mansion project in limbo for nearly three years.

Paul Koretz, a Los Angeles Councilman who represents the area, stood by the call for a “rigorous” environmental review of the project. Local opponents of the Saudi prince’s plans shrugged off the lawsuit, calling it “just another of his failed attempts to evade local and state laws that the rest of us are required to follow.”