Mogul’s Future Neighbors Decry Monster Project

Carol Hasman thought she had retired to the good life in this upscale Seattle suburb, where she crossed paths daily with some of the richest people in the country.

Her house is perched over Bill Gates’ home, and Hasman loves that she gets a wave from the Microsoft founder’s wife, Melinda, when she’s out walking.

But Hasman is not thrilled with her new next-door neighbor. Former Microsoft President Jon Shirley has never met Hasman, but he has made his presence known for the last three years as 100 construction workers pound and dig within feet of her home.

His mega-mansion is at least a year from completion, and neighbors say they don’t think they can stand it another minute.

Hasman and her husband, Raymond, are suing Shirley and his wife, Mary, saying the construction has disrupted their lives. Their once-peaceful home has lost its privacy, and a stunning waterfront view now competes with orange plastic fencing, a black tarp and dirt-covered bulldozers.

It’s not as though Medina’s roughly 3,000 residents aren’t accustomed to multimillionaires building giant homes. The 36th richest city in the country, Medina has more than 50 mansions and the average home sells for $832,000, according to a recent Worth magazine survey.

Gates is the city’s most famous resident. His home, which will soon be the only one bigger than Shirley’s, cost $53 million and took more than seven years to build.

But neighbors say Gates was different.

He paid for neighbors to have their cars and windows washed. He kept the streets clean and held a meeting to introduce residents to the building plans. The project manager visited residents to keep them informed on developments, and Gates paid for any damage to their homes. He allowed neighbors to tour the home, and one of the first parties he threw upon completion included neighbors.

“He went 1,000% overboard to be accommodating,” says Hasman, 70, who has urged Medina to declare a Bill and Melinda Gates day for their contributions to the world.

Neighbors don’t have the same regard for Shirley.

Construction workers at Shirley’s home site can peer directly into Cindy Schott’s living room.

“He has no respect for the city, no respect for the neighbors. He’s totally arrogant,” says Schott. “At one point I wanted to be politically correct and not put myself out on a limb, but you get pushed to a point that you can’t just sit here. It is disregard for people’s lives.”

Shirley and his lawyer refused to comment on the construction.

The Shirley estate, called “The Orchard” because of fruit trees on the land, will include an approximately 23,000-square-foot, two-story home and a swimming pool with a retractable roof, a separate 2,661-square-foot garage, reflecting pools, garden terraces, a pond and walking trails.

Shirley, an avid art collector, will devote most of the space to an art gallery and a separate glass gallery.

Building records show Shirley’s home is worth nearly $17 million. He spent $93,573 alone on permit fees.

“These kinds of things belong in Timbuktu, not in an average community,” says Hasman.

Construction, which began in late 1998, was only supposed to take two years. Now the aim is for a January 2002 completion.

The mansion has some city officials shaking their heads.

“We want to protect [neighbors], but also protect the property rights of the Shirleys. It’s a real dilemma,” says city planning director Jenny Schultz. “But the bottom line is the Shirleys have the right to build a house, and they have the right to build a house that size.”

Earlier this month, however, the city of Medina fined Shirley $500,500 for several violations, including building too close to the Hasmans’ property and failing to meet the scheduled mid-2000 completion date.

The Hasmans say Shirley failed to build a noise barrier and never apologized for the inconvenience. They also complain that he never sent a representative to discuss building plans with neighbors.

Building plans also called for a minimum of 24 feet between Shirley’s building structures and neighboring property lines. Because of the pool, the line has become 14 feet. The city has ordered the Shirleys to stop building over that 24-foot zone.

For Hasman, the noise is unbearable. One day, she was resting in her upstairs bedroom when she heard a noise so loud she thought someone had broken into her home. She rushed downstairs. False alarm. It was just the workers, again.

The Hasmans say they have worked hard for their 4,000-square-foot home, which has three bedrooms, four bathrooms and a pool.

Hasman recently retired from a 25-year career with King County juvenile court. Her 75-year-old husband retired from the clothing business.

“We pay huge taxes,” she said. “It’s not like we inherited this. I don’t take this view for granted. Every day I say, ‘I can’t believe it.’ It’s something I really appreciate. I know I’m lucky.

“But I’m home for the first time in my life, and I can’t even enjoy it.”