BY ALLISON LEVITSKY
Daily Post Staff Writer
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has quietly torn down and rebuilt two of the four houses surrounding his home in Palo Alto’s Crescent Park neighborhood.
Zuckerberg raised eyebrows when he bought up his neighbors’ single-story houses and submitted plans to tear four of them down, proposing to replace them with two-story houses that formed a sprawling compound with structures for parties and guests.
After the city’s Architectural Review Board rejected his bid to demolish the homes he owns at 1451, 1457 and 1459 Hamilton Ave. and 1462 Edgewood Drive in September 2016, he withdrew and resubmitted the application with a more modest plan to replace the homes at 1457 Hamilton Ave. and 1462 Edgewood Drive.
Zuckerberg had received push-back about his plan to build two-story houses in the predominantly single-story neighborhood. Architectural Review Board members took issue with his plan to take traditional single-family houses off the market in housing-crunched Palo Alto, replacing them with entertainment or guesthouse-style units that would function as part of a large compound.
“The construction plan will replace two of the current units with single-story homes. It was crafted to minimize disruption to the community while maintaining the character of the neighborhood,” Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Walker-Warner Architects, told the Post in September.
Permits and inspections
On Nov. 2, Zuckerberg passed the final inspection of the new 1,827-square-foot, single-story home with a 2,397-square-foot basement at 1462 Edgewood Drive, having demolished the single-family home that was there before.
Zuckerberg applied to replace the Edgewood house on Dec. 19 and received a permit to move forward on June 30.
On Oct. 4, Zuckerberg passed the final inspection for a single-story, 2,566-square-foot house with a 3,173-square-foot basement at 1457 Hamilton Ave. He had applied on March 16 and received a permit to build on Sept. 19.
Minor renovations have moved forward at the other homes.
On Wednesday, Zuckerberg received a permit to build a 476-square-foot pool house and storage shed connected by a trellis at 1451 Hamilton Ave.
Zuckerberg passed the final inspection for the demolishing of the pool and hot tub at 1459 Hamilton Ave. on Oct. 24.
In Palo Alto’s residential neighborhoods, single-story homes that comply with other city codes don’t need to be approved by the Architectural Review Board or by individual review in the planning department.
