One of the area’s most recognizable residents has drawn the ire of the Los Angeles County Building and Safety Division.
Rapper Kanye West of Hidden Hills is constructing multiple 50-foot-high domes on a 300- acre property on Stokes Canyon Road south of Calabasas—to the chagrin of some his neighbors.
It’s unclear when the construction started, but the property was visited by county building and safety inspectors on July 30.
Steven Frasher, the department’s public information officer, said a neighbor contacted the county about noise from the construction late last month.
“The property owner has been issued a 45- day notice to either remove the structures or bring them into compliance,” Frasher said.
“The property manager said the structures are only temporary, but I don’t know what they’re for.”
The domes are built on concrete bases, which indicates they may not be temporary.
Frasher couldn’t comment on the number of domes, or what they were made of, but said one of the buildings only had rudimentary electrical wiring.
Representatives for West could not be reached for comment.
In a May 2018 tweet, the rapper and fashion designer announced that through his company, Yeezy, he would be getting involved in architecture.
“We’re starting a Yeezy architecture arm called Yeezy home. We’re looking for architects and industrial designers who want to make the world better,” West wrote.
And in an interview with Forbes Magazine last month, West said the domes were inspired by the childhood home of Star Wars protagonist Luke Skywalker and that the structures were intended to be low-income housing units.
According to the county’s citation, West has until Sept. 13 to bring the structures into compliance. Until then, construction has been ordered to halt.
The citation lists fees totaling more than $1,400 for the county’s notification and recording of the violation.
In order to bring the domes into compliance, the property manager would have to submit plans for the work to the county Department of Regional Planning. Also required are an application for a plan check and permits for construction.