Hagman Loses Bid to Build 42-Foot Tower
VENTURA — Dastardly oil billionaire J. R. Ewing could have browbeaten “Dallas” officials into it, but actor Larry Hagman failed to persuade the Ventura County Planning Commission this week to let him build a 42-foot-tall observation tower on land he owns north of Ojai.
The 58-year-old Malibu resident who stars in the long-running nighttime TV soap opera did get permission Thursday to build a helicopter landing pad on the rugged, 29-acre canyon property off Sulphur Mountain Road where he and his wife, Maj, are building a 20,000- square-foot, Mediterranean-style home.
But the commission turned down plans for an observation tower that on clear days would command stunning views of the Ventura coastline and the Channel Islands. The panel said it exceeded the 35-foot height building limit for the area.
The actor’s wife said the couple will appeal the decision to the Board of Supervisors.
“It’s not life or death, but it would be nice to have it,” Maj Hagman said.
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