Apple Receives Final Approval for 'Spaceship' Campus From Cupertino City Council

Apple today received final approval for its Apple Campus 2 project from the Cupertino City Council after gaining a unanimous initial approval back in October. "Go for it," said Cupertino Mayor Orrin Mahoney, following tonight's unanimous vote in favor of the project. "We're eager to see it happen. Go for it."

With the vote, the Cupertino City Council approved the necessary ordinances to allow Apple to enter into an official Development Agreement with the City of Cupertino, which will see the company receiving its full set of building permits on November 20. Apple has already received ancillary permits allowing it to begin demolition of the former HP campus that is already on the site.

apple_campus_2_sept_13
As part of the final agreement, Apple has agreed to increase the amount of taxes that it pays to the City of Cupertino, in the form of a reduction of the sales tax rebate that the company receives each year from the city (via The Los Angeles Times). Last year, Cupertino refunded 50 percent of the sales taxes it received from Apple-related purchases, but in the future, it will only refund 35 percent of sales taxes.

Phase 1 of the Campus 2 construction will include a 2.8 million square foot ring-shaped main building with an underground parking facility capable of accommodating approximately 2,400 vehicles. A 100,000 square foot fitness center and a 120,000 square foot auditorium will also be built. During a second phase of construction, Apple will build 600,000 square feet worth of office, research, and development buildings, along with additional parking and energy generation facilities.

Apple's Campus 2 is designed to be environmentally friendly, incorporating 80 percent green space with 300 different species of trees, orchards, and a central garden with outdoor dining areas. The facility will also use efficient water and landscaping in addition to garnering 70 percent of its energy from solar and fuel cells.

Apple plans to finish the first phase of the Apple Campus 2 construction by 2016.

Top Rated Comments

Vanilla35 Avatar
135 months ago
I feel like we already heard this 3 times
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lolkthxbai Avatar
135 months ago
Steve Jobs has to approve it now.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WaxedJacket Avatar
135 months ago
Build the thing already!

But wait! The pope has to approve it next.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
135 months ago


I feel like we already heard this 3 times
I can't wait for more articles about the demolition of the old buildings... and the groundbreaking... and the delivery of the building materials... and the planting of the trees... and...

It's gonna be a long couple of years...

:)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Alphabetize Avatar
135 months ago
I feel like they've been approved about three or four times now :rolleyes:
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
springsup Avatar
135 months ago
Let me get this straight:

So Apple wants to build one of the nicest, environmentally-integrative, energy-efficient, modernly-designed, attractive offices in the country, will provide thousands of construction jobs during the years it builds it, has assured tens of thousands of permanent jobs in the area following completion, is going to do additional work to make the surrounding city area nicer and more accommodating, already has overwhelming public approval to do this, and they are willing to do it in one of the most business-unfriendly states, in an already way-overpriced area to live (the bay area), just because they want to stay local, and the city of Cupertino is like,

"Yeah, we'll only approve it if you agree to pay us more."

Apple should have told these greedy government money-flushers to piss off, that the primary reason they have any interest in Cupertino was because Jobs couldn't see past his doorstep but that they see things more practically, and that any other city would be thrilled to accept their plan for a class-of-its-own office with city improvements and a boost to both temporary and long-term employment without a tax hit.

This confirms one thing: Tim Cook sucks at negotiating.
Seriously?!

You're calling the government greedy money-flushers, while Apple are the ones getting half of the sales tax for purchases of Apple products? Apple shouldn't be getting ANY of the proceeds of sales tax!

From the linked article:


According to an economic development report released this summer by Apple, sales by the company generated $12.7 million in sales tax for Cupertino in 2012. Under the terms of old rebate agreement, Cupertino gave $6.2 million of that back to Apple.

Had the lower rate been in effect in 2012, Cupertino would have kept an extra $1.8 million. For a city with projected general fund revenues of $51.4 million for the current fiscal year, that extra money will be a nice bonus.

...

Cupertino had originally agreed to a tax rebate for Apple back in 1997, when the company was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. In exchange for the rebate, Apple agreed to assign more of its sales to Cupertino.

The city renewed the deal twice since then. The latest deal was set to expire in 2014, but Apple had made it clear that it wanted to renew the agreement as part of a deal for the new campus.
So actually, the whole fact this deal still exists (even at its lower rate) is a negotiating win for Tim Cook, taking money from the City of Cupertino in the first place. It originally existed to help Apple try and survive (how nice of the city to do that for them), and it's totally absurd that they still get it. They definitely don't need it - that $6M income is meaningless for Apple whereas it would represent a 12% increase in revenue for the City (they could give all municipal workers a 15% raise and still have change with that).

Also, you've totally neglected all of the benefits to Apple by being in the Bay Area. Sure, they could relocate to Reno or Albuquerque or wherever, but good luck attracting top-class talent. You're also forgetting the fact that this was part of a life-raft thrown to Apple by the City when they were facing bankruptcy.

Corporations cannot just take, take, take from governments under the threat of otherwise not providing jobs. The City gave Apple a hand when it was in a dire situation, but it seems Apple is not willing to reciprocate.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
Reasons to Not Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14

macOS Sonoma 14.4: Reasons Not to Update

Monday March 18, 2024 9:36 am PDT by
Since Apple unveiled macOS Sonoma 14.4 on March 7, the transition to the latest software update has not been entirely smooth for everyone, and a number of issues have been reported by users that significantly impact their daily workflow. This article lists the most prominent challenges users have faced since updating to macOS Sonoma 14.4, and offers potential solutions where available. USB...