Mark Zuckerberg’s neighbours have complained about a rock wall being built around his property on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
The 32-year-old Facebook founder bought 700 acres of North Shore land on the island for $100million (£62million) in 2014 according to Forbes. The area includes a sugarcane plantation, an organic farm, and access to the white sand Pila’a beach which is open to the public.
Local resident Moku Crain said the wall looked daunting and forbidding and obstructed the view of the ocean. Mr Crain said he hoped the tech giant would build plant foliage around it to soften its appearance.
“Whereas before when we drove along the road we could see the ocean and see through the property, it's closing off that view,” Mr Crain told the Associated Press. “So I think that's part of it. Nobody likes change.”
Mr Crain estimated the wall to be approximately six feet tall and said another wall on the property was around four ft. He claimed neighbours would be less inclined to complain if the new wall was built at the same height as the old one.
Lindsay Andrews, a spokeswoman for Zuckerberg’s Kauai property operations, said the rock wall was intended to reduce highway and road noise and followed all rules and regulations.
“Our entire team remains committed to ensuring that any development respects the local landscape and environment and is considerate of neighbours,” Andrews said in a statement.
A number of neighbours have told local media on Kauai that the wall felt oppressive and obstructed breezes and views.
Local resident Shosana Chantara said she was concerned about changes to the microclimate from the wall.
“It’s hot behind that wall. Because it’s up on a berm, there’s not a breath of air on this side from the ocean,” she told local newspaper The Garden Isand.
“You take a solid wall that’s 10 or more feet above the road level; the breeze can’t go through.”
Another Kilauea resident, Donna Mcmillen, called the wall a “monstrosity.”
A representative for Zuckerberg did not immediately respond to request for comment.
