Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire co-founder of Facebook and CEO of Meta, gifted noise-canceling headphones to his neighbors in the Crescent Park neighborhood in Palo Alto, in an attempt to alleviate their suffering from years of ongoing construction and the associated disturbance around his expanding residential complex.
Zuckerberg has spent over $110 million purchasing at least 11 homes on Edgewood Drive and Hamilton Avenue over the past 14 years.
Zuckerberg converted the once quiet neighborhood, formerly home to lawyers, business executives, and Stanford University professors, into an area dominated by construction equipment, surveillance, and frequent lavish parties, according to a report by the New York Times reviewed by "Al Arabiya Business".
Some of these recently purchased properties remain uninhabited, despite being in an area known for its acute housing shortage, while other properties have been turned into guest houses, luxurious gardens, a pickleball court, a pool with an adjustable floor, and a private school for Zuckerberg’s children and others, a use that appears to not comply with local zoning regulations.
Zuckerberg added underneath his complex a 7,000 square foot space described as "basements", which locals see as closer to "bunkers" or caves for the billionaire. Similarly, Zuckerberg added a 5,000 square foot underground structure to his complex in Hawaii.
There is significant resentment about the continuous construction work, ongoing for nearly eight years. Many of Zuckerberg's neighbors cite street closures, debris accumulation, and continuous noise as ongoing issues.
A spokesperson for Zuckerberg, in a statement to Fortune magazine, said: "Mark, Priscilla, and their children have made Palo Alto their home for over a decade. They value being members of the community and have taken several steps beyond any local requirements to minimize disturbances in the neighborhood."
The noise-canceling headphones were among many gifts Zuckerberg's employees presented to neighbors to calm them during periods of high noise, along with bottles of sparkling wine and boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. However, these gestures were not always effective.
Some of Zuckerberg's neighbors said their neighborhood has changed — not for the better — due to the strict barriers for privacy, and the increased security presence, including surveillance cameras on adjacent properties and frequent patrols by private security guards.
This is not the first altercation Zuckerberg has had with his neighbors regarding real estate projects.
In 2016, Palo Alto city officials denied a proposal to demolish four houses and replace them with smaller homes and spacious basements as part of a broader compound. Despite the city’s refusal of the specific request, Zuckerberg gradually proceeded, implementing similar works in a fragmented manner to avoid further regulatory hurdles. The Palo Alto City Council and some residents criticized what they described as exploiting zoning law loopholes and the city's failure to take necessary regulatory actions.
