A metal fence 4.8 meters high and a door with security camera. That was the spark of a legal dispute that involves a property of West Lake Hills, an exclusive residential area on the outskirts of Austin, Texas. The house is linked to Elon Musk, according to information obtained by The New York Times, although it appears in the name of a limited society called Stratford House LLC.
A property in the spotlight. The property was acquired in 2022 by this society and since then has been in the center of an urban controversy. According to municipal records, the structures were built without the required permits, contravening the local code. The case was discussed on April 16 in a session of the Zoning and Planning Commission, whose public act includes all the details. The Commission voted against granting the requested exceptions and the matter will now go to the City Council, at a meeting scheduled for June 11, after the applicant asked for a postponement.
The before and after, captured by Street View. Google Street View images help visually draw the change. In a capture taken in 2018, the area appears without visible security elements. There is no metal door or closed structures, and in the background you can see a partially exposed building, as well as two vehicles parked on an open platform.
View from Street View from an area close to the housing related to Elon Musk: before the reforms (2018) and then (2024)
However, in the view corresponding to 2024, the environment has changed substantially. The entrance has been replaced by a metal door, accompanied by at least one visible surveillance chamber. In another capture you can see an imposing wooden door that did not exist in previous records. These transformations would have been carried out without municipal permission.
View from Street View from an area close to the housing related to Elon Musk: before the reforms (2018) and then (2024)
A story that has changed. All this contrasts with the image that Musk projected in 2021, when he said he lived in a prefabricated house in Boca Chica, rented to Spacex, and that the only house of his property was a home for events in the San Francisco area. However, the aforementioned media maintains that the businessman has added at least three mansions in recent years, including this controversial residence.
The interior of the prefabricated booth in Boca Chica
Beyond an urban issue. The controversy has also revolved around the privacy of the process. According to Correos obtained by the American newspaper, representatives of the alleged owner tried to persuade local authorities to keep the case secret. They argued that, due to their relationship with the Donald Trump government, it should be considered a “federal public official” and that both records and communications with the city were exempt from transparency laws.
The city lawyer rejected the petition, protecting himself in the Texas Open Meetings Law. An additional request signed by lawyer Inna Kplun was also dismissed, in which he claimed that the presence of armed security personnel, including federal sheriffs, justified to deal with the matter outside the public scrutiny.
The day everything came to light. As Kxan points out, during the April 16 hearing, the owner’s representatives submitted six exception requests to the Municipal Code, including the five -meter high fence. They recognized that the structures were installed without permission in 2022, when the house was bought. Several neighbors expressed their rejection.
The process is still open. But what began as a series of discreet reforms in a property associated with the employer has ended up becoming a public issue, exposed to detail in acts, internal emails and official documents. All in one of the most exclusive areas of Texas, where privacy also has its limits.
Images | USAFA | Screen capture Google Street View | Elon Musk
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