Excessive fences make unhealthy neighbors.
A minimum of that’s what these dwelling close to Elon Musk’s “Fort Knox” high-walled compound close to Austin, Texas, declare — together with allegations that the mogul’s safety forces known as the cops on one neighbor for allegedly standing bare on the street.
Paul Hemmer, a retired actual property agent and head of the neighborhood householders affiliation in West Lake Hills, has been among the many most vocal residents complaining about Musk’s alleged zoning code violations.
He informed the New York Instances that he has been beneath fixed surveillance from Musk’s safety cameras, which have been put in on the grounds of a property that the billionaire mogul bought with the intention of merging with two different adjoining tons to function a compound for him, his 13 youngsters and their moms.
“I call that place Fort Knox,” Hemmer informed the Instances.
Final 12 months, Musk’s safety workforce accused Hemmer of indecent habits, alleging he was nude outdoors his dwelling.
Hemmer denied that he was bare and mentioned he was on his property carrying black underwear.
On one other event, Hemmer stopped to urinate whereas strolling his canine — which Musk’s safety surveillance captured.
“The cameras got me,” Hemmer informed the Instances. “It’s scary they have guys sitting and watching me pee.”
Hemmer’s outrage at Musk prompted him to fly a video-equipped drone over his property in a bid to doc alleged violations, the Instances reported.
Hemmer and different residents of an upscale cul-de-sac in West Lake Hills, an prosperous suburb simply west of Austin, launched a proper grievance towards Musk after he moved in to their neighborhood in 2022.
The world’s richest man — whose portfolio of corporations consists of Tesla, SpaceX, X and Neuralink, — bought the $6 million, 6,900-square-foot mansion by means of a restricted legal responsibility firm.
Musk’s arrival within the neighborhood, nonetheless, was something however refined as neighbors quickly noticed unsettling adjustments, the Instances reported.
Employees put in a towering 16-foot chain-link fence across the property — considerably exceeding native top restrictions — accompanied by outward-facing surveillance cameras.
The fence is 10 ft larger than zoning ordinances allow, in accordance with the Instances.
Visitors congestion quickly grew to become one other sore level.
Residents famous fleets of autos, significantly Teslas, routinely parked on their beforehand serene streets.
Safety personnel, identifiable by their firearm holsters, modified shifts 3 times day by day, including to neighborhood frustrations, in accordance with the Instances.
The size of the development additionally violated at the very least six metropolis ordinances, the Instances reported.
Musk’s representatives sought to retroactively acquire permission for the varied development tasks in and across the property, however have been denied final month, in accordance with the outlet.
Hemmer, whose home is situated throughout the road from Musk’s compound, voiced his irritation in a proper grievance to town.
“Transporting service employees to other houses, leaving their cars on our quiet streets, hauling laundry to and fro to other houses has to stop,” he wrote within the grievance.
Hemmer and different neighbors formally appealed to the West Lake Hills Zoning and Planning Fee, stating that Musk was successfully working a safety enterprise from his residence.
Final month, the fee unanimously sided with the neighbors.
Commissioner Jim Pledger emphasised the seriousness of the infractions, declaring: “If an exception was made, we’d incentivize people to break the rules.”
The West Lake Hills metropolis council will assessment the zoning fee’s choice on Might 14. Musk faces a possible mandate to dismantle his non-compliant installations.
In a bid to justify Musk’s actions, his representatives cited ongoing safety threats to the billionaire.
Longtime resident Anne Yeakel questioned Musk’s choice to maneuver to the neighborhood.
“Castles are supposed to be built on hills, right?” she remarked.
“These were sophisticated buyers, and if security was the prime directive, this was not the house for it.”
