Tahoe City, California — One of the most influential people this century has been Mark Zuckerberg. The founder of Facebook has built a social media giant with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. This, along with their dive into AI and VR, has made Mark one of the richest men on the planet. So what do you do with all this money?
Buy land and build a lavish lakefront compound, of course. In December 2018 and January 2019, Zuckerberg bought two neighboring estates in Tahoe City, California. These were discrete land purchases by Zuckerberg, as the two neighboring estates were bought under Golden Range LLC. The two properties have given Mark ten acres of land and 600 feet of lakefront access to Lake Tahoe.
Mark has decided to demolish various buildings on the property and build anew. According to documents discovered by SFGate, Zuckerberg was given approval by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) to tear down various buildings and build new structures for the expansive plot of land. The signature building will be a roughly 20,000-square-foot L-shaped residence. The 35-foot tall house will have a facade consisting of glass and timber and a shingle roof. The land will eventually feature seven buildings. According to SFGate, other approved buildings on the property include “a bunk house, a gym, a gatehouse, an office and a guesthouse.” One of the original homes remains standing, as its future is uncertain.
The landscaping plans for the property include building firepits, walkways, and bridges. Zuckerberg is also planning to install bear boxes, which are fortified containers for trash buckets that attempt to prevent bears from becoming addicted to human food.
The interesting thing about this development is that, in theory, the three cabins that were part of Carousel Estate, which was part of Zuckerberg’s purchase, should have been protected. Usually, older structures are protected by their historic status. However, local leaders and environmental regulatory agencies approved the demolition. The TRPA “determined that the structures have undergone a series of additions and modifications over time which have significantly impacted the historic integrity of the property and therefore are viewed to not be of significance.”
This isn’t Zuckerberg’s only mansion under development. Wired reported last year that his family is building a $270 million compound in Kauai. The possible lizard person also owns properties in Palo Alto and San Fransisco.
Image Credits: Tim Peterson/Mark Zuckerberg (Featured Image), Map Data- Google Earth/Airbus, Ronan Furuta