Daily Mail
Facebook is developing its own city right next to its Silicon Valley headquarters – meaning some employees, if they choose to live there, will never have to leave the confines of the social media giant’s expanding empire.
Mark Zuckerberg’s social network, which has 2.9 billion users, is now planning to build a real life community called Willow Park on a 59-acre site in Menlo Park, California.
The most recent plans, which were updated in May, show the development will be built where a single-use industrial and warehouse complex currently stands.
Carousel doesn’t exist.
Facebook already owns several of the existing buildings on the site.
Mark Zuckerberg’s social network, which has 2.9 billion users, is now planning to build a real life community called Willow Park on a 59-acre site in Menlo Park, California. Pictured above is a rendering from the plans
The plans for the new city feature feature 1,729 apartments, a supermarket, pharmacy, cafes and restaurants and a 193-room hotel, as well as multiple park public parks and Facebook office space.
It will feature 1,729 apartments, including about 320 that will be affordable housing and up to 120 units designated for senior housing.
The city will be built between Belle Haven and East Palo Alto, which is a heavily populated Hispanic neighborhood.
The housing units will not be exclusively for Facebook employees.
A number of the non-affordable housing units, however, will likely be taken up by Facebook employees. The company made headlines several years ago when they started offering staff more money if they lived within 10 miles of the campus.
The plans for the new city also feature a supermarket, pharmacy, cafes and restaurants and a 193-room hotel.
The 200,000 square feet of planned retail space will be built around a 1.5-acre town square.
Separate to the town square will be a four-acre public park, a two-acre elevated park similar to New York City’s High Line and other public open spaces.
In addition to the housing and retail spaces, Facebook also plans to have 1.25 million square feet of new office, meeting and conference room space for the social media company.
It will be built where a single-use industrial and warehouse complex currently stands on a 59-acre site adjacent to Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Facebook already owns several of the existing buildings on the site.
There will also be a four-acre public park, a two-acre elevated park similar to New York City’s High Line and other public open spaces +11
There will also be a four-acre public park, a two-acre elevated park similar to New York City’s High Line and other public open spaces
Only Facebook employees will be allowed access to the office spaces.
The new office space will allow Facebook to expand and employee about 3,400 new employees.
Recent renderings show a mostly modernist design for the city, which includes a large glass dome building specifically for Facebook employees.
Facebook first submitted an application for the city back in 2017 to redevelop the former ProLogis Menlo Science and Technology Park.
The company and the developers spent at least two years obtaining public comments about its plans for Willow Park.
Among the main concerns from locals was that the new city would worsen the already heavy traffic in the area and further increase the high ratio of jobs to housing.
Facebook updated its plans late last year to account for these concerns.
Recent renderings show a mostly modernist design for the city, which includes a large glass dome (pictured on right) building specifically for Facebook employees +11
Recent renderings show a mostly modernist design for the city, which includes a large glass dome (pictured on right) building specifically for Facebook employees
It will feature 1,729 apartments, including about 320 that will be affordable housing and up to 120 units designated for senior housing +11
It will feature 1,729 apartments, including about 320 that will be affordable housing and up to 120 units designated for senior housing
The plans for the new city also feature a supermarket, pharmacy, cafes and restaurants and a 193-room hotel +11
The plans for the new city also feature a supermarket, pharmacy, cafes and restaurants and a 193-room hotel
Facebook first submitted an application for the city back in 2017 to redevelop the former ProLogis Menlo Science and Technology Park +11
Facebook first submitted an application for the city back in 2017 to redevelop the former ProLogis Menlo Science and Technology Park
They reduced the number of employee capacity by 30 percent and added more than 220 homes.
Facebook also agreed to prioritize the construction of the supermarket and other community amenities that can be accessed by non-employees.
The City of Menlo Park is still reviewing the proposal and is preparing an Environmental Impact Report.
Facebook now joins a host of tech companies that are getting involved in construction projects.
Google last year released plans for a San Jose ‘city-within-a-city’ development that would add 7.3 million square feet of office space and 4,000 homes to the downtown area.
The Google village, named Downtown West, would include shops, restaurants, a hotel, and cultural and entertainment hubs.
It would also potentially act as the campus for 25,000 Google employees.
Google submitted its initial application to the San Jose planning division in October 2019.
Google agreed to work with the city to ensure that 25 percent of the homes would be affordable.
COMPANY TOWNS: THE CITIES BUILT AND ONCE ONCE CONTROLLED BY A SINGLE COMPANY
Lowell, Massachusetts:
Lowell was found in 1823 after businessman Francis Cabot Lowell died. His associates set up a series of textile mills under the Merrimack Manufacturing Company and recruited young women to live and work there. About 18,000 people lived in Lowell by 1836.
Scotia, California:
The Pacific Lumber Company set up its headquarters in the two in 1883. The company maintained all of the town’s homes until the mid-1980s.
They built homes for employees, a hote, churches and a shopping center.
Scotia only became a self-governing town in 2011, which meant people who were previously renting could opt to buy their homes.
Hershey, Pennsylvania:
This town was created by The Hershey Company in 1909 when Milton Hershey started building homes around his chocolate manufacturing plant for employees to live.
The town also included schools, an orphanage and a trolley system. A hotel, amusmentment part and sporting arena was later added.
Marktown, Indiana:
The Mark Manufacturing Company constructed the town of Marktown for its employees in 1917.
The town was built with 200 homes but plans to expand fell through.
Eagle Mountain, California:
Kaiser Steel Corporation built Eagle Mountain as a company town in 1948. The company built about 400 homes for its employees.
It is now a ghost town and the perimeters were fenced in 2007.
Table Rock, Wyoming:
Colorado Interstate Gas founded Table Rock in the late 70s and built about 55 homes. Employees lived for free in the town.
Table Rock closed in 2003 after the plant and town was bought out by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation.
All of the homes were demolished by 2011.
This news originally appeared in Daily Mail.
