Google wants to build new headquarters

Google (GOOG) plans on Friday to present a proposal for a new headquarters to the city council of Mountain View, California, where the Internet giant is based.

The facility will include several buildings designed by London design firm Heatherwick Studio and Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, the company confirmed.

Google is the largest employer in Mountain View, with 20,000 employees and more than 7 million square feet of owned or leased office space. It's existing corporate home, often referred to as the "Googleplex," has become renowned for its elaborate and quirky features, including a life-sized dinosaur skeleton, sand volleyball court and giant Lego statues.

Yet while the search titan is a fixture in Silicon Valley, its expansion could raise concerns from local residents worried about traffic congestion and increasingly unaffordable housing.

Mountain View, which as of 2013 had a population of roughly 78,000 living in a 12-square mile area, is already "bursting at the seams," according to the New York Times, which first reported Google's plans for a new HQ.

One major issue that remains unsettled is the amount of new housing Google hopes to build. The company wants room for employees, but residents are concerned about crowding, as well as the potential for a "Google vote block" that could give the company more local political power.

Google's plan makes it the third major technology industry company in the region, along with Apple (AAPL) and Facebook (FB), to recently plan significant new or expanded facilities.

Apple's planned circular "spaceship" headquarters have moved ahead in nearby Cupertino, California, but the company has had to make concessions, including moving an historic landmark to a more accessible site and investing in public transportation to reduce traffic. Facebook bought 56 additional acres of landing in expanding its campus in Menlo Park, California, hiring star architect Frank Gehry to design the compound.

Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman is a widely published writer and editor who also does select ghosting and corporate work. The views expressed in this column belong to Sherman and do not represent the views of CBS Interactive. Follow him on Twitter at @ErikSherman or on Facebook.

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