Elon Musk narrowly wins fight against neighbors over Austin-area home
In Texas, one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet just defeated a few of his neighbors.
The West Lake Hills City Council decided on Wednesday night to let Elon Musk keep the majority of the gates and fence he has installed at his Austin, Texas, property, provided he makes the necessary adjustments to bring them into line with local regulations.
Three of Musk’s requests for variance were split 3-2, with Darin Walker, Beth South, and Gordon Bowman of the council voting in favor. Brian Plunkett and Dana Harmon abstained from voting. There was unanimous approval of a fourth request. James Vaughan, the mayor, does not cast a vote during council sessions.
Following the vote, Vaughan spoke to the neighbors who had come to protest Musk’s demands.
According to Vaughan, we make an effort to fulfill our legal obligations. This is not a very unusual result, for those of you who are not familiar with our normal procedure.
The ruling puts a halt to a long-running conflict between Musk and his neighbors on the peaceful cul-de-sac. Without the necessary local clearances, the tech tycoon completed the modifications to the house he had bought through an LLC in early 2022. His neighbors claimed that the side fencing, which was made of steel and chain link, detracted from the area’s natural beauty and that automobiles were jammed onto the street in an attempt to enter the driveway gate Musk had installed.
Musk’s agent responded to the concerns by stating that he will replace the front gate’s security keypad with an automatic gate opener to reduce street traffic and replace, lower, and beautify the fencing in select locations.
Being nice neighbors is what we want. We’re attempting to downplay the worries we’ve heard,” Racy Haddad, a real estate lawyer from Austin, told the Council. Every family should be able to request a fence from the local council.
Those present at the Wednesday meeting chose to use the terms “applicant” or “homeowner” instead of mentioning Musk by name.The account of Musk’s suburban altercation was first reported by the New York Times in April.
Paul Hemmer has been vocal in his opposition to Musk’s presence on the street where he lives.
Hemmer informed the council that all of these proposed fixes are merely cosmetics. I understand that a VIP need more protection. However, this lot and house are not the right one.
He continued, “Please don’t let him get away with this.”
Hemmer expressed his disappointment with the outcome to The Texas Newsroom following the voting. Hemmer responded that he would continue to monitor the residence when asked how he would get along with Musk as a neighbor.
Another speaker against Musk was Lexi Elio of the lefty advocacy group ResistAustin.
According to her, we don’t think the wealthiest people in our society should be given preferential treatment or punished for breaking the law.
From The Texas Newsroom, Lauren McGaughy. On June 10, 2025, a barrier surrounded a residence in West Lake Hills connected to Elon Musk.
Haddad, however, managed to win over a slim majority of the council members.
She gave a lengthy presentation to the Council at the beginning of the discussion, during which she made several compromises to allay the worries of the neighbors. Haddad further contended that the house’s septic system and steep slope from the street are two issues with the property that make maintaining security more challenging.
The council members debated the benefits and drawbacks of allowing the variances before casting their votes. Musk’s requirements, according to Plunkett, exceeded the majority of things they typically provide, and he did not believe Haddad had substantiated her claim that there were no better security options.
Although Gordon Bowman expressed his frustration with residents making improvements and then requesting council approval, he maintained that Musk needed to use the hardship argument based on the terrain of the property where the house was erected.
“I would say that’s a hardship and it’s specific to the property,” concurred Darin Walker. The homeowner is unrelated to it.
The city council left the room to have a private conversation with its lawyer before beginning the discussion.
Musk’s agents have made an unsuccessful attempt to hide the whole matter by requesting that the city hold the meeting behind closed doors. Additionally, local authorities have opposed the release of documents pertaining to Musk’s residence, claiming that doing so would expose the homeowner to danger.
Musk has also been connected to a residence in South Texas close to SpaceX, where he launches rockets. That house is significantly smaller. The firm owns the property on which it is located, and Musk employees are the elected authorities of the recently created city.
The Texas Newsroom is the source and original publisher of this story.
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