Won't You Be My Neighbor? No Thanks, Elon Musk.

[Chellee]

18. I don't know, there's hope yet.

He and his employees did not obtain permits for a metal gate and the fence built around the property, making the chain-link structure 10 feet taller than was allowed, local records showed. In total, the construction violated six city ordinances. After some neighbors protested, Mr. Musk’s team tried to gain retroactive permission for the projects.

But Jim Pledger, one of the six commissioners on the West Lake Hills Zoning and Planning Commission, said he and his colleagues voted unanimously last month against recommending that the homeowner — he was careful not to name Mr. Musk — be granted variances for the projects. If an exception was made, Mr. Pledger said, “we’d incentivize people to break the rules.”

Unless the City Council disagrees with that decision, Mr. Musk faces the prospect of tearing down the fence and gate or changing them to comply with the town’s rules.