Lowe gets OK to build massive dream house

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) -- Rob Lowe narrowly won approval from planners for a massive dream estate on his $8.5 million Montecito lot despite a neighbor's complaint the mansion would spoil his panoramic ocean view.
"I've always been a big believer in the process. I'm obviously pleased with the outcome," the 42-year-old former star of "The West Wing" said after Wednesday's 3-2 vote by the Montecito Planning Commission.
The vote came after a daylong commission debate over whether the proposed 14,260-square-foot estate would overwhelm the Picacho Lane neighborhood, which is also home to mystery writer Sue Grafton.
Lowe's proposal calls for a 24-foot-high privacy hedge that would screen the estate from neighbor Fred Gluck, former head of the international consulting firm McKinsey & amp; Co. Gluck said the hedge would partially block views of the Pacific.
The complaint blossomed into a debate on the expanding size of Montecito homes.
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