The Spielbergs Stop Horsing Around

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/02/2001 at 06:06 PM EDT

After an outcry from neighbors in December who called the proposal "astounding and obnoxious," Steven Spielberg and his wife, actress Kate Capshaw, have drastically reduced plans to build an equestrian center in a quiet, tony Brentwood, Calif., neighborhood, reports the L.A. Times. The $7 million project on 2.8 acres of land had included a five-story, 27,000-square-foot domed horse facility with a retractable roof, a three-story guardhouse and a 2,400-square-foot main residence. It also would have required builders to apply for six zoning variances. In its place, the Spielbergs plan a scaled-back outdoor ring for which they hope to break ground late next month. Unlike their initial proposal, this one is receiving favorable reviews from neighborhood critics and will require no special action by L.A. zoning officials. An imposing 8-foot-high sliding gate planned for the entrance to the property has been scaled back to 6 feet high. "We tried as much as possible to deal with their concerns," said Andy Spahn, a senior executive with DreamWorks SKG, the studio Spielberg co-owns with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.