Over the past ten years, Ken Griffin, the billionaire CEO of Citadel, has been strategically acquiring land on Palm Beach's exclusive "Billionaire's Row" along South Ocean Boulevard, a stone's throw from Mar-a-Lago. His grand plan? To construct what could be the world's most extravagant home - a home that, ironically, might face the threat of sea-level rise.
In 2022, the Architectural Board greenlit Griffin's ambitious project for a new "house" - reportedly a palatial estate for his mother. This sprawling 50,000-square-foot mansion, poised to sit on an eight-acre plot on the northern side of his property, is designed around a massive pool, with additional guest quarters featuring a smaller pool. The architectural renderings depict a lengthy, tan structure reminiscent of a luxuriously revamped motel. Griffin isn't stopping there; he's already planning an expansion for his eventual retirement home, submitting plans for additional construction on the southern part of his estate.
Griffin's journey to build his dream estate has been both time-intensive and costly. One significant 2019 purchase - a $104.99 million mansion on a 4.5-acre ocean-to-lake lot - broke Palm Beach records. He's demolished existing mansions to make way for his envisioned residence, with plans to consolidate all his parcels on Blossom Way and Ocean Boulevard into one supreme estate.
Despite looming climate concerns for the region, real estate development in Palm Beach is booming. The town is channeling the influx of property-tax revenue from its wealthy residents into bolstering climate resilience. Officials are optimistic about outpacing the rising sea levels. However, critics, like a certain landscape-architecture professor, view this real estate surge as a final flourish - a rush to capitalize on the area before its eventual decline. For Ken Griffin and his ambitious Palm Beach estate, only time will tell.
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