Mark Zuckerberg is facing mounting frustration from neighbors after quietly purchasing 11 homes worth more than $110 million in Palo Alto’s Crescent Park neighborhood since 2011. What started as the Facebook founder’s single-family home has now expanded into a sprawling multi-property compound that locals say has disrupted their once-quiet community.
According to The New York Times, the billionaire’s acquisitions include a 5,600-square-foot home on Edgewood Drive and four additional properties that were transformed into a private enclave for Zuckerberg, his wife, Priscilla Chan, and their three young daughters.
Inside Zuckerberg’s Expanding Compound
The compound reportedly features multiple guesthouses, landscaped gardens, a pool with a hydrofloor, and even a nearby pickleball court.
Beneath the estate, neighbors claim Zuckerberg constructed a 7,000-square-foot underground “bat cave”, whose eight-year build filled streets with noise and heavy construction equipment.
Security Concerns in Crescent Park
Residents told The NY Times that the expansion has not only brought noise but also “intense levels” of surveillance. Security cameras allegedly capture views of surrounding homes, while private guards patrol the area in vehicles, sometimes filming pedestrians and questioning them on public sidewalks.
Nine neighbors spoke to The Times for its investigation, though most declined to be named, citing fear of retaliation. The reporting also drew from a review of permits, city records, and correspondence between residents and local officials.
Frustration from Neighbors
Michael Kieschnick, co-founder of a cellular phone company and a longtime Palo Alto resident, said his Hamilton Avenue home is now surrounded on three sides by Zuckerberg-owned properties.
“No neighborhood wants to be occupied, but that’s exactly what they’ve done. They’ve occupied our neighborhood,” Kieschnick told The NY Times. He criticized the city for approving dozens of permits tied to Zuckerberg’s properties, despite a broader compound application being rejected in 2016.
He also recalled discovering that police had set up tow-away zones on a public street, which he later learned was to accommodate a garden barbecue hosted by the billionaire.
“Billionaires everywhere are used to just making their own rules. Zuckerberg and Chan are not unique, except that they’re our neighbors, but it’s a mystery why the city has been so feckless,” he added.
Efforts to Ease Tensions
In recent years, reports suggest Zuckerberg’s team has softened its approach. Security guards now use quiet electric cars, and staff have been known to deliver gifts such as sparkling wine, chocolates, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts to neighbors as a gesture of goodwill.
A spokesperson for the couple told People, “Mark, Priscilla and their children have made Palo Alto their home for more than a decade. 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.”