Flagship San Francisco Apple Store Approved by Planning Commission

The City of San Francisco today approved Apple's plans to build a new retail store in the city's famous Union Square, taking over the former Levi's building at the corner of Post and Stockton streets.

According to an Apple representative presenting the company's plans to the city's planning commission, the flagship store will be "more iconic" than the well-known Fifth Avenue glass cube retail store in New York City, reported ifoAppleStore's Gary Allen after attending the meeting.

model

A model of the San Francisco Apple Store presented at the meeting (Courtesy of ifoAppleStore)

Renderings of the location shared earlier this week depict the new store with two massive 44-foot tall sliding glass panels that allow the building to be exposed to the street.

Apple originally filed plans to move its existing Stockton Street store to the prime Post Street location back in May of 2013, but the company was forced to revise its initial building plans after critics objected to the removal of the historical Ruth Asawa fountain and the installation of an 80-foot wide wall along a key pedestrian and transit corridor.

Revised plans for the site were filed in August, and Apple pledged to move the fountain to a nearby location, add an eight-foot wide window, and move the glass wall of the store back by four feet.

The commission has now accepted Apple's second proposal with one small caveat -- the company will need to offer improved accessibility options for the store's upper floor. Earlier today, the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission also approved a permit for the project, giving Apple a green light to move on with the store's construction.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...

Top Rated Comments

Xenc Avatar
154 months ago

What is this? An Apple store for ants?!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
154 months ago
Time to train birds to swoop in and steal iPods!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FrizzleFryBen Avatar
154 months ago
Heck, I'll visit just to see the giant sliding doors! Totally rad!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AZREOSpecialist Avatar
154 months ago
The real victory is they saved the fountain, and all the anti-art naysayers on this board lost: Apple made room for it.

You mean this piece of crap?



Some things deserve to be torn down.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Macist Avatar
154 months ago
Apple are now 100% wedded to pure modernism, with its emphasis on minimalist function. This is a glass box they've boxed themselves into.

The trouble is when you arrive at pure minimalism there's nowhere else to go as any design choice that runs counter can be dismissed as trite ornamentation. On the other hand, designs that echo the organic structures of the natural world, perhaps to provide better ergonomics or some other useful function, may be dismissed as being too jarring aesthetically.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeeGee48 Avatar
154 months ago
Better Do It Now!

Jony Ive should design traffic bollards for the front of that place. I can see already that some idiot will one day want to ram his car through those doors!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)