Los Angeles Times story, photos about Duane Hagadone's mansion in the desert here

'A blight." "A monstrosity." "A pimple." "An abortion" of city planning. That's how Palm Desert residents have described Duane Hagadone's mega-mansion as it nears completion in the viewscape of the Santa Rosa Mountains that "enfold the city like a clamshell." The words jumped off page one of the Los Angeles Times Friday. In the article, "Battling the monster on the hill," reporter Valerie Reitman details the anger fueled by Hagadone's mansion, which, at an original 32,016 square feet, was to be eight times larger than the community's hillside ordinance allows. Only the finished product covers 64,000 square feet. It's as strange looking as it is big, too. Seems nearby residents have dubbed Hagadone's home "the flying saucer" and "Neverland Ranch." The photos accompanying the Times article (which will be available after 9 a.m. today at Huckleberries Online) underscore how futuristic the mega-mansion is. The Times said Hagadone bought the land and built the $30-million-plus home above the 18th hole of the prestigious Bighorn golf course with proceeds from the $90 million sale in 2004 of his megayacht, Lady Lola, and his shadow boat. It was supposed to blend into the mountainside and be barely visible from below. But we all know that's not Hagadone's way. Seems neighbors are blinded by the desert sun's glare glancing off the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of Hagadone's office, which fronts the rest of the complex, according to the Times. Thought for today: Aren't you glad Hagadone didn't get permission to build a downtown garden?

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