Initially, the inhabitants of the luxurious Cul-de-SAC at West Lake Hills, Texas, did not know who had moved to the 6,900-square-foot mansion, six bedrooms next to it.
The manufacturers then arrived to erect a 16 -foot chain fence around the $ 6 million property, which is one of the four houses on Flayfy Street. They also installed a camera outward. Then a fleet of cars – many of them Teslas – began to park on the road. Three times a day, a change of change of signage marked by security personnel and going home. Once upon a time, the driver of a past car shouted late at night that he was looking for a party at “E home”.
No one liked the turmoil or traffic or opening and closure of the gate activated by the keyboard for workers and cars at all times. So, even when they learned from mouth to mouth that their new neighbor was Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, who did not stop some of them to hit West Lake Hills for his mansion.
Complaints have since been escalated in a disturbance about the decrees, permits and exceptions of cities known as fluctuations – so much so that the issue of Mr Musk’s home can land at a controversial meeting of the Planning and Planning Committee last month. The discussion is heading next to a meeting of the West Lake Hills Municipal Council, scheduled for May 14th.
“Officials of the Transport Service to other homes, leaving their cars on our quiet roads, carrying the washing machine to and from other houses must stop,” wrote Paul Hemmer, a neighbor and the main complainant to the Planning and Planning Commission. The letter was also signed by the passengers of the two other houses on the road.
For the last few months, Mr Musk, 53, has been bullied his way across Washington, ignoring long -term traditions and beating what he considered unnecessary federal bureaucracy. But on his own threshold outside of Austin, the billionaire technician has been immersed in a maze of local regulations and bureaucracy. No one seems to be rich enough to get away from neighbors.
The Moguls, including Mark Zuckerberg, have sometimes hit the boundaries of wealth and their connections into disagreements in their luxury homes. Mr Musk, who has so far lost municipal bureaucracy at West Lake Hills. He and his employees did not receive permits for a metal gate and the fence built around the property, making the structure of the chain-lubrication chain 10 feet higher than allowed, showed local files. In total, the construction violated six cities decrees. After some neighbors protested, Mr Musk’s team tried to obtain a retrospective license for the projects.
However, Jim Pedger, one of the six Committee of the West Lake Hills Zone and Design Committee, said that he and his colleagues unanimously voted unanimously against the owner’s owner’s synthesis – he was careful not to name Mr Musk – to receive fluctuations. If there was an exception, Mr Pledger said: “I will motivate people to break the rules.”
Unless the City Council disagrees with this decision, Mr Musk faces the prospect of breaking the fence and gate or to change them to comply with the rules of the city.
Mr Musk did not return requests for comments. A home administrator associated with the property refused to comment.
Mr Musk’s story in Texas is relatively recent. The technological tycoon, who oversees six companies, has moved most of his business in the state from California, starting around 2021. He has built factories for his electric vehicle company, Tesla, Rocket Company, SpaceX, and his business, boring company around Austin.
Mr Musk also moved to Austin. Initially he wanted to build houses for himself and his children (he has at least 13) in hundreds of acres he bought there. After the plan fell, he looked at other real estate.
In 2022, Mr Musk bought the West Lake Hills house through a limited liability company named after the road where the property is located. The house is in the middle of a residential neighborhood at the bottom of about two acres of inclination from a narrow public road, making security.
“Castles are supposed to be built on hills. So?” Said Anne Yeakel, a long -term resident of West Lake Hills living around the corner. “They were sophisticated buyers, and if security was the basic directive, that wasn’t the house for that.”
Mr. Musk and his staff were not introduced to the neighbors. Few residents have seen him there. But the word traveled quickly to the 3,400 community and soon everyone knew that he had moved.
“It is known here,” said Yeakel.
The mansion was one of the three that Mr Musk bought in the area for the last three years to create a union for his children and their mothers. At one point, Claire Boucher, known as Grimes musician, lived with Mr. Musk and their three children at home. Shivon Zilis, a brain technology manager who has four children with Mr Musk, lives about a 10 -minute walk. Mr Musk also bought another Tuscan mansion about a year ago.
Neighbors soon became disappointed with the fixed hubbub at home. They saw people coming and carrying firearms as the security team fell along with Mr Musk’s security concerns. Although Texas has permissible firearms laws, the activity stood out.
“I call on this Fort Knox place,” said Mr Hemmer, a retired real estate agent who lives across the street and is president of the neighboring homeowners.
The house was quieter in the days that Mr Musk was not in the city, the neighbors said, especially in recent months, when he lived mainly in Washington to advise President Trump. Now the residents were supporting Mr Musk’s return, after saying that it would spend less time in the capital.
Some neighbors were particularly annoyed in the fence in front of the mansion, as well as the giant metal gate at the other end of the property, which seems to serve as the entrance of the workers.
Mr Hemmer, who has long been a Tesla, has become so frustrated with his neighbor that he had started flying a drone over the house to check for city violations and maintains a video camera trained on the property around the clock. Last year, he complained to West Lake Hills officials about Mr Musk’s fence, circulation and how he thought the owner was operating a property security business.
Mr Musk’s security team also contacted the West Lake Hills Police Department on Mr Hemmer, according to city records. One security officer accused Mr Hemmer last year of being naked on the street, according to records.
Mr Hemmer denied he was naked and said he was on his ownership wearing black lingerie. On another night, he said, he was walking his dog completely dressed and stopped when he suddenly had to urinate – which Mr Musk’s camera occupied.
“The cameras took me,” Mr Hemmer said. “It’s scary that they have kids sitting and seeing me peeing.”
Following repetitive perceptions by Mr Hemmer, West Lake Hills officials found that Mr Musk had violated the city’s decrees with the fence and gate. Last month, the Zone and Design Committee discussed whether to give him fluctuations for the projects.
Prior to the meeting, Tisha Ritta, a licensing specialist working for Mr Musk’s limited liability company, wrote a letter to the Planning Committee demanding exemption from the city’s rules.
“As a high -profile civil servant, the resident of the property is facing continued security threats, making preventive security measures urgent,” he wrote, according to a copy of the letter. Ms Ritta did not respond to comments.
Mr Hemmer and other residents wrote their own letter to the Planning Committee, warning their neighbor to facilitate “bad behavior in our quiet little cul-de-Sac”.
For some time, Mr Musk seemed ready to win the neighborhood battle. Planning and planning officials recommended that the property of “fluctuations of hardships” be granted, which would allow him to keep the fence and other works with only minor changes in the property, according to city documents.
But at the planning meeting, the commissioners denied Mr Musk the fluctuations. When they challenged Ms Ritta, he accused a former home director of failing to get permits for construction.
“I just met the property owner last year and unfortunately was under the guidance of the real estate manager,” he said, according to a recording of the meeting.
Mr Hemmer also spoke at the meeting to say that he doubted that the homeowner was wrong.
“If you follow him at all in the news, he is always guilty of building materials and then asking for permission later,” he said.
A commissioner, who was not recognized in recording, said he could not believe that West Lake Hills staff had recommended that the homeowner would receive any exceptions.
“I am surprised that staff are making all sorts of suggestions that we bend based on who is asking for,” he said.
The decision of the Planning Committee does not end the process. At the upcoming meeting of the West Lake Municipal Council, members must decide whether to remain in the composition of the Commissioners in the Musk mansion.
If the City Council votes against him, Mr Musk could sue the city. And if this does not work – and given its history to support candidates – there are always the next local elections.
Kirsten noyes He contributed research.
