Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, who is now worth $270 billion, spent over $110 million to consolidate his real estate empire as a gated community in Crescent Park, an affluent neighbourhood in Palo Alto. This particular decision of building his home base has involved scooping up at least 11 houses in the area.
Given the locale’s exclusivity, doctors, lawyers and Stanford professors inevitably ended up as the billionaire’s neighbours, until he presented some of them with as much as $14.5 million, a staggeringly high amount of money, in exchange for what once used to be their abodes. As a result, the US neighbourhood has seen many occupants leaving it altogether since Zuckerberg started making his mark on the locality 14 years ago, according to a recent New York Times analysis.
How Mark Zuckerberg’s $110M real estate empire in Palo Alto ‘disrupted’ the locals’ lives
The report alleges that Mark Zuckerberg moving in ultimately killed the once-close-knit community life that thrived in the neighbourhood. However, with the Meta boss playing his own game of Monopoly, his ostensibly intentional property picks in the area have resulted in a five properties coming together to work as a connected compound, including a main house for him, his wife Priscilla Chan and their three daughters.
The combined arrangement also allocates room to guest homes, gardens, a pickleball court and a pool. Additionally, the property bears a 7-ft statue of Chan as an additional identifier of extravagance. On the other hand, the remaining houses remain empty, merely taking up space. Some have become housing estate for Zuckerberg and Chan’s extended family over the years.
One of these five connected properties also constitutes a private school establishment for 14 children despite the city code disallowing such use of a house.
Neighbours not on the same page
One of the neighbours affected by Zuckerberg’s property map accused the billionaire tech titan of “occupying” their neighbourhood as his home on Hamilton Avenue stands surrounded on three sides by the Facebook founder’s estate. Another man living in the area even divulged that Zuckerberg had hoped to buy his house. However, the individual, a phone company’s co-founder, turned down his offer, having called the place his own for over 30 years.
In what some have described as an endless series of revamping, the report maintains that Zuckerberg’s creation of a self-induced gated city has notably isolated his neighbours. His incessant “disruption” in the area doesn’t merely comprise of years of construction (and the subsequent street blockage), but also party nuisance and enhanced surveillance. Given his famed stature, Zuckerberg and Priscilla’s soirees have called for valet parking and high-profile party goers with loud music blaring in the background on certain occasions.
The couple even hosted their wedding at the Palo Alto property, with Zuckerberg documenting another such bash on his Instagram in October, saying, “Disco queen wanted a party,” alluding to his wife.
While the Facebook boss has managed to create a bubble of his own thanks to his $110 million investment, he failed to become a member of the local community. Aaron McLear, a spokesperson for the A-list couple said, “They value being members of the community and have taken a number of steps above and beyond any local requirements to avoid disruption in the neighborhood.”
However, a retired lawyer, who has called the place his home for 20 years and has long had the habit to welcome his neighbours when they move in, painted a different picture altogether. “We tried to bring him into the fold,” he said. “It’s been rebuffed every time.”
Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘gift baskets’ to the his neighbours
In what may as well be called Zuckerberg-Land, the tech titan has steered clear of mingling with inhabitants who settled in way before him. And yet, in an effort not to seem completely above them, the billionaire has done his bit by curating what may deem an apology basket of gifts. One such instance wherein Mark tried his all to fit into the scene without actually coming in entailed him sending an ice cream cart to an annual block party.
In other cases when the bashes seemed to have lifted high to the larger-than-life status, he even had member of his staff send neighbours gifts like wine, chocolates and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Noise-cancelling headphones have also been included in these deliveries at times.