Facebook gets go-ahead to build second Menlo Park campus

By Associated Press | Updated: 29 March 2013 09:52 IST

Facebook has the go-ahead from the city of Menlo Park to build a swanky second campus near its current Silicon Valley headquarters.

The Palo Alto Daily News reports the city council voted 4-0 Tuesday to let the social media company move forward with its plans. Facebook says it will allow the company to employ thousands more people.

Facebook Inc. plans to build a 433,555-square-foot building designed by architect Frank Gehry. The 22-acre West Campus site will feature a rooftop park and a surface-level parking lot, and will rise to 73 feet in some spots.

Gehry's partner, Craig Webb, says much of the white stucco building will be hidden by the landscaping and the rooftop park.

The council also approved a package of land use entitlements and an environmental impact report related to the project.