“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,” resident Shosana Chantara told West Hawaii Today. “You take a solid wall that’s 10 or more feet above the road level; the breeze can’t go through.”
Another resident echoed Chantara’s feelings, telling the paper that based on the construction that is already under way, he expects the wall will be at least six feet tall.
“The feeling of it is really oppressive. It’s immense,” Kauai resident Gy Hall told the paper. “It’s really sad that somebody would come in, and buy a huge piece of land and the first thing they do is cut off this view that’s been available and appreciative by the community here for years.”
Another Kilauea resident, Donna Mcmillen, called the project a monstrosity.
“I’m super unhappy about that. I know that land belongs to Zuckerberg. Money is no option for him. I’m 5’8 and when I’m walking, I see nothing but wall,” Mcmillen said. “It just doesn’t fit in with the natural beauty that we have here. There are people on the island who money can pay for anything. These kind of things that they do take away what Kauai is all about.”
Concerned residents have been placing polite signs on the wall, urging Zuckerberg to reconsider. These are immediately removed, however.
This is not the first time the ironically-private social media mogul has upset a neighborhood with his construction plans.
In 2013, Zuckerberg spent $30 million to purchase four homes surrounding his home in California. This was done to block a developer's plan to build a house next door that would have been tall enough to see into the mogul’s bedroom.
In May, he filed a motion with the city to demolish the four houses and replace them with smaller ones that would take up 20% less space.
“Is he just developing it or is he creating some sort of compound which will have a constant turnover of visitors and employees?" Norm Beamer, resident and president of the Crescent Park Neighborhood Association, told Mercury News. "It's a question of whether it's a normal residential development or some unusual use that might create traffic and security issues and so forth."
One of the purchases has already led to Zuckerberg being targeted with a lawsuit. A developer claimed he gave the CEO a discount on the purchase price of one of the homes in exchange for a promise that the former would be introduced to other Silicon Valley tycoons.
The developer claimed that Zuckerberg did not hold up his end of the bargain.
