Transformation and technology go hand in hand, and we have further confirmation of that fact – albeit in a different way than we would normally expect. Facebook is a company that often pops to mind when it comes to technological innovations, as the company has forever changed the way we communicate. The social media has unveiled its latest transformative plans, but this one has to with its own campus in Menlo Park, California.
As the Mercury News shares, Facebook is outgrowing itself, and that calls for the needs for some new digs. Rather than packing up and heading for greener pastures, the company is staying put to remake its campus entirely. This is not your everyday office redevelopment project, as the company plans to add several office buildings, homes, retail, a grocery store, and parks and plazas.
“This will be a village,” according to Ryan Patterson, a real estate manager with Facebook. “The community benefits will be open and accessible to everyone.”
John Tenanes, Facebook’s vice president of global facilities and real estate, notes that while the company is certainly fulfilling its own needs, there’s a greater purpose for taking on such an ambitious project.
“Working with the community, our goal for the Willow Campus is to create an integrated, mixed-use village that will provide much-needed services, housing, and transit solutions as well as office space,” he said. “Part of our vision is to create a neighborhood center that provides long-needed community services. “We envisage construction will follow in phases, with the first to include the grocery, retail, housing and office completed in early 2021 Subsequent phases will take two years each to complete.”
While there’s no word on what grocer or retailers may be on board as tenants, we can bet that many big names will be chomping at the bit to climb on board.
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“We feel that Facebook genuinely wants to be a good neighbor. They appear to have heard the requests of the community, and they want to meet those requests,” according to Diane Bailey, executive director with Menlo Spark, a community environmental group. “We are very pleased with the way this is happening, about the phasing of the project. It’s great that the grocery store and the retail will be first, and that housing will be first. The area has not had a grocery store or a pharmacy for a long time.”
With Facebook being a trendsetter in so many areas already, it’ll be interesting to see if Facebook’s plans serve as a template for future corporate redevelopment projects. If so, the concept of living, work, and play is about to become even more attractive.
