California's Hillsborough and the owner of a Flintstones-themed house have settled out of court after allegations the home violated codes.
The owner had erected dinosaur sculptures in her yard.
A Hillsborough court permitted owner Florence Fang to keep her home and her decorations. The retired publisher and her home gained international attention after she was sued by officials in 2019. Fang countersued.
Fang decorated her home and surroundings in homage to the "The Flintstones" cartoon family. It also has statues and sculptures of aliens and other oddities.
"I wanted to decorate with the past and the future combined together in harmony. I'm just a tired old lady. I just wanted my peaceful life. I'm a very, very regular, retired old lady. But of course, a little different. I have all kinds of dreams," Fang said in an interview.
Fang's home - a $2.3 million property with a 2,730 square foot house - was built in 1976 by architect William Nicholson. Since Fang made her modifications, some of her neighbors and officials said the place was a "highly visible eyesore."
* Woman buys $2.8 million house in rich San Francisco suburb
* Completely decks it out in a Flintstones theme
* Is told by the city it is an eyesore and needs to come down
* Takes the city to court and wins
What a badass. I love this lady. Long love your giant Flintstones house. pic.twitter.com/DMcrhxIUYN — Austen (@Austen) June 28, 2021
"Rules are in place so neighbors don't have to look at your version of what you would like to have, and you don't have to look at theirs," Mark Hudak, an attorney for Hillsborough, said.
Officials said residents needed permits before installing any sculpture visible to the public. In the lawsuits, Fang was accused of failing to comply with multiple stop-work orders.
As part of the settlement, Fang agreed to apply for building permits before she makes any alterations. In turn, the town of Hillsborough agreed to pay Fang $125,000 for her to drop her countersuit.
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