Google Co Founder Larry Page to Build Eco Home

Google co-founder Larry ‘Mr Green’ Page is planning to apply for a permit to build a new, nearly 6,000-square-foot “eco-friendly house,” in Palo Alto, CA.

The new lot is adjacent to the historic property where, according to neighbors, he currently lives.

The modern, two-story home will be sited nearly in the middle, with many of the property’s 60-plus trees retained to screen the home from the street and neighbors, the plans indicate. It will feature four bedrooms and a full basement.

The home will also be environmentally friendly, although, I wonder at the eco-friendliness of tearing down an existing property to build another. The 35-year-old billionaire has already bought up nearby properties – all under various limited-liability company names, according to Santa Clara County public records – over the last several years and demolished the houses, giving some cause for concern that the quaint little neighborhood could morph into an armed-guarded enclave of mega mansions.

Apparently, he is applying for Green Point Certification, with points given for use of recycled and low or no-VOC (volatile organic compound) materials and a roof garden with solar panels. Other eco-friendly elements include use of grasscrete pavers, pervious paving in the parking court and a pervious path through the trees.

“The house is designed to minimize the impact on the environment,” said a spokesman.

Under current Palo Alto regulations, Page could build another 5,000 square feet of “accessory structures,” a guest house (up to 900 square feet), pool house or art studio, for example, according to Curtis Williams, the city’s interim director of planning. The previous home on his lot was about 4,500 square feet. The planned 3,540-square-foot basement is not figured in the building cap.

Page’s spokesman would not confirm Page’s current address, nor that the Google co-founder also owns a third neighboring property. But city regulations would not allow him to merge any of the land, since lot mergers are prohibited when the combined properties exceed 19,999 square feet, Williams said.

But that wouldn’t preclude Page from adding an accessory structure to the neighboring lot that he owns — such as a tennis court or swimming pool — as long as there was also a house on the property. Neighbors are concerned with the mess of construction, as well as possible damage to streets from heavy trucks, adding to the eco-unfriendliness.

“There’s constant noise and confusion; when one finishes, the other starts,” said one neighbor. But fences are already up, including wire mesh around protected trees, waiting for permission to be given to begin work.

Photo courtesy – Gawker