The Flintstone House is a legendary Northern California landmark, but neighbors are calling it unsightly, spurring a legal battle with its owner in retaliation to additions to the cartoon-like property.
Lawyers for the town of Hillsborough filed a lawsuit against Florence Fang, its owner, in San Mateo County Superior Court over showy outdoor decorations that include a “Yabba Dabba Doo” sign and a series of dinosaur sculptures, The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Saturday.
Describing the property as “a highly visible eyesore” that is “out of keeping with community standards,” Hillsborough officials are arguing that the home’s additions were made without the necessary permits.
Images of the massive residence on Instagram show its brightly colored orange and purple facade situated on a lawn adorned with mushrooms, a mastodon, a giraffe and, of course, dinosaurs.
Fang, a philanthropist who was once the publisher of The San Francisco Examiner, bought the home in 2017, according to the Chronicle, quickly revising the property to include a retaining wall, columns, gates, steps, a deck and a parking area.
By March 2018, The East Bay Times reported that Fang estimated she shelled out up to a quarter million dollars on the house and its accoutrements.
Mark Hudak, a Hillsborough lawyer representing the town, contends the changes “created live-safety hazards that required immediate correction to protect visitors to the property.”
Hudak said in the filing that Fang defied previous stop work orders issued by the city, The Mercury News reported.