Apple's Glass Roofed Retail Store Approved Without Even Discussion

apple2t
The Santa Monica Dispatch's Peggy Clifford attended yesterday's Santa Monica Planning Commission meeting and reports that Apple's new Third Street Promenade building was quickly approved, without even discussion.

The surprise was that the staff put the project on the Consent Calendar. I cannot remember any large, complex commercial project ever going on the Consent Calendar. Apple was the only item on last night’s Calendar. And, under the rules, the Consent Calendar is approved as a whole – unless someone wishes to pull at item for discussion.

And in that crucial blink, the commissioners approved the Consent Calendar (aka Apple Glass House), and that was that – except for a staff report on the redesign of the Project Case List, after which they adjourned.

The proposal first came to light yesterday, and detailed a new 8,084 glass-roofed Apple Store to be built on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California. The store will be built in the space of an old Borders Bookstore.

apple1t2

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...

Top Rated Comments

MarrkDaviid Avatar
179 months ago
I am not surprised, some of the Apple stores are almost tourist attractions.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RafaelT Avatar
179 months ago
Where does the rain go?

Non issue, rain would never touch an Apple store. It goes around.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
314631 Avatar
179 months ago
It's somewhat disgusting the way planning comities / local governments pander to Apple.

Reminds me of the recent Cupertino city council meeting. The 'officials' were practically gushing over Steve Jobs and showing off their iPad's - it was cringeworthy.

At least pretend you're a professional...

It would probably be more surprising if they didn't gush over him given what Steve Jobs and Apple has done for Cupertino.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrxak Avatar
179 months ago
It's somewhat disgusting the way planning comities / local governments pander to Apple.

Reminds me of the recent Cupertino city council meeting. The 'officials' were practically gushing over Steve Jobs and showing off their iPad's - it was cringeworthy.

At least pretend you're a professional...
Professional? They're local government. These are your neighbors with a little bit of power, not some 5-term US Senators.

Plus, look, the buildings Apple designs look amazing, and they will bring in lots of money to the local community. Why wouldn't you kiss Apple's ass?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RafaelT Avatar
179 months ago
And after the decision all the board members walked out and collected their nice new shiny MBA's.

lol

Wouldn't it be hot inside?? Think greenhouse effect... I mean they will obviously use ACs...but still I don't think that's a good design....coming from Apple I expect more...

What's more...on a sunny day...I wouldn't want to feel like I'm "shopping" for products OUTSIDE...feels very cheap...feels like buying something from an illegal street merchant..

There are many things you can do to glass to help counter heat and an over abundance of sunlight, these things could easily be done to the roof without people noticing. Do you really think the Apple designers have no taken this into consideration and just plan on throwing plain old regular glass on the ceiling?

It's somewhat disgusting the way planning comities / local governments pander to Apple.

Reminds me of the recent Cupertino city council meeting. The 'officials' were practically gushing over Steve Jobs and showing off their iPad's - it was cringeworthy.

At least pretend you're a professional...

What would you have liked them to do exactly? The see a great looking structure being built by a reputable company who does a great job on their stores. A company who's stores bring in a lot of customers and revenue. This is an existing space being changed around for a new business. What should there concerns have been exactly where they needed to debate this?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
179 months ago
I dont understand the point to this question. It would go to the same place as a regular roof.... On the roof and then it would flow off to the ground.

Look at the picture. The other roofs are flat and must have hidden drains. The water doesn't overflow down their sides.

So I think he's talking about how the Apple store's curved roof doesn't even appear to have gutters. Of course, that's almost certainly artistic license in that drawing. I highly suspect it does have hidden drains along the edges.

PS. Good thing it's not white painted glass. It'd be delayed for years while they work out the light leak and reflection issues :)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)