Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg slowly buys entire housing estate

News.com.au

3 days ago

For years, Palo Alto's Crescent Park was a postcard of California suburban bliss — leafy streets, neighbourly block parties and children coasting on bikes. Now, residents say their once-idyllic enclave has been transformed into a real-life game of Monopoly, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg buying up the board.
Since arriving in 2011, the billionaire and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have amassed at least 11 properties along Edgewood Drive and Hamilton Ave, spending more than USD $110 million (AUD $168m).
Five homes were folded into an expansive private compound for the couple and their three daughters, outfitted with guesthouses, lush gardens, a pickleball court and a pool with a hydrofloor cover, according to the New York Post.
Nearby structures serve as an entertainment hub, staging area for outdoor events, and — controversially — a private school for 14 children, an unpermitted use under city code.
In the middle of the compound stands a 7-foot silver statue of Chan, commissioned by Zuckerberg, while beneath it lies 7,000 square feet of underground space that permits describe as basements — but neighbours call bunkers or 'a billionaire's bat cave.'
The eight years of ongoing construction have clogged streets with heavy equipment, blocked driveways, and, residents say, knocked mirrors off parked cars, according to the Times.
Surveillance is another sore point. Neighbours report cameras trained toward their yards and security guards stationed in vehicles, filming visitors and questioning pedestrians on public sidewalks.
'No neighbourhood wants to be occupied,' Michael Kieschnick, whose Hamilton Ave home is bordered on three sides by Zuckerberg's holdings, told the Times. 'But that's exactly what they've done. They've occupied our neighbourhood.'
City records show 56 permits approved for Zuckerberg-owned properties since his move-in.
Critics accuse officials of bending to the tech titan. In one instance, police created a tow-away zone for several hours so the family could host a barbecue.
Frustrations date to 2016, when Zuckerberg sought to demolish four adjacent homes and replace them with smaller houses and large basements.
The Architectural Review Board rejected the proposal, but construction proceeded piecemeal, avoiding another public hearing.
Former board member Peter Baltay recalled visiting the site during the review process: 'I said 'I'm standing on the sidewalk looking at this project for review.' He said, 'Well, we'd appreciate it if you could move on.' I was pretty shocked by that.'
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Greer Stone, a Palo Alto City Council member, said the billionaire has 'been finding loopholes around our local laws and zoning ordinances,' adding, 'We should never be a gated, gilded city on a hill where people don't know their neighbours.'
The Zuckerbergs' spokesman, Aaron McLear, told The Post in a statement that the couple has 'taken a number of steps above and beyond any local requirements to avoid disruption in the neighbourhood.'
He cited credible security threats as the reason for the protective measures and denied that cameras target neighbours.
'Mark, Priscilla and their children have made Palo Alto their home for more than a decade,' he said. 'They value being members of the community.'
Not all interactions are frosty. Security guards now use quiet electric cars, and while Zuckerberg skips the annual block party, last year he sent over an ice cream cart. Before big events, staff have delivered goodwill gifts ranging from sparkling wine and chocolates to Krispy Kreme doughnuts and noise-cancelling headphones.
Still, for residents like Kieschnick, the sense of community has been hard to salvage. 'Billionaires everywhere are used to just making their own rules — Zuckerberg and Chan are not unique, except that they're our neighbours,' he said. 'But it's a mystery why the city has been so feckless.'