Apple's 'spaceship' campus clears another regulatory hurdle on way to breaking ground
Cupertino's planning commission gave Apple's new corporate campus the go-ahead this week, clearing the way for a final vote on the project by the Cupertino City Council later in October.
Following a "shared study session" with members of the public Tuesday night, the city of Cupertino's planning commission voted on Wednesday to approve Apple's Campus 2 plans, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The project's fate now shifts into the hands of the Cupertino City Council, which is widely expected to grant final approval at an Oct. 15 meeting.
The main topic of discussion Wednesday was Apple's plan to install three left turn lanes on the exit from the new campus towards Interstate 280. The city is worried that employees leaving the facility may drive erratically as they try to position themselves in the correct lanes to merge onto the interstate.
Apple and the commission agreed to a mitigation plan in which both parties will monitor the roadway near that exit for traffic violations for a period of nine months. An additional wrinkle proposed by the city, which would have seen Apple pay a $500 fine for each violation, was not endorsed by the commission.
Apple's Director of Real Estate and Facilities, Dan Whisenhunt, was on hand for the meeting and briefed the commissioners on the project. During his presentation, which CNET reports contained a video featuring lead architect Norman Foster, Whisenhunt called the existing development on the site, a former HP campus, "outdated buildings in a sea of asphalt."
Apple's Campus 2 plans call for the HP buildings to be razed and 80 percent of the roughly 150 acre plot returned to native grassland with more than 6,000 trees. Whisenhunt noted that construction could be finished in as little as 32 months, and that the company aims to move in as soon as 2016.
The Campus 2 project was first presented in 2011 by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in what would turn out to be his last public appearance. Apple's co-founder said at the time that he believed Apple could "have a shot at building the best office building in the world. I think it could be that good."
The project's cost has since ballooned from its original $3 billion price tag to more than $5 billion and its initial timeline, with completion expected in 2015, is behind by more than a year.
Following a "shared study session" with members of the public Tuesday night, the city of Cupertino's planning commission voted on Wednesday to approve Apple's Campus 2 plans, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The project's fate now shifts into the hands of the Cupertino City Council, which is widely expected to grant final approval at an Oct. 15 meeting.
The main topic of discussion Wednesday was Apple's plan to install three left turn lanes on the exit from the new campus towards Interstate 280. The city is worried that employees leaving the facility may drive erratically as they try to position themselves in the correct lanes to merge onto the interstate.
Apple and the commission agreed to a mitigation plan in which both parties will monitor the roadway near that exit for traffic violations for a period of nine months. An additional wrinkle proposed by the city, which would have seen Apple pay a $500 fine for each violation, was not endorsed by the commission.
Apple's Director of Real Estate and Facilities, Dan Whisenhunt, was on hand for the meeting and briefed the commissioners on the project. During his presentation, which CNET reports contained a video featuring lead architect Norman Foster, Whisenhunt called the existing development on the site, a former HP campus, "outdated buildings in a sea of asphalt."
Apple's Campus 2 plans call for the HP buildings to be razed and 80 percent of the roughly 150 acre plot returned to native grassland with more than 6,000 trees. Whisenhunt noted that construction could be finished in as little as 32 months, and that the company aims to move in as soon as 2016.
The Campus 2 project was first presented in 2011 by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in what would turn out to be his last public appearance. Apple's co-founder said at the time that he believed Apple could "have a shot at building the best office building in the world. I think it could be that good."
The project's cost has since ballooned from its original $3 billion price tag to more than $5 billion and its initial timeline, with completion expected in 2015, is behind by more than a year.
Comments
Maybe don’t give licenses to idiots, then? “Erratically”…
… What… responsibility… does APPLE, a PRIVATE COMPANY, have… policing TRAFFIC violations… on PUBLIC ROADS?!
Has there ever been a building in the history of human civilization that did not come in over budget? Who are these morons budgeting every building too low, anyway? You’d think they’d learn by now.
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Let's see... It's been over 2 years since Steve announced the plan to build the Apple 'spaceship' campus, and they're just now getting through regulatory approval? And Apple is a multi-billion dollar company with teams of experts in real estate, construction, and law. Why does anyone do business in California anymore?
Because it's a great place to live? Because it isn't Texas or China where business makes all the calls?
Because it's a great place to live? Because it isn't Texas or China where business makes all the calls?
It's true. It's beautiful. Great natural environment and perfect weather. Regulations are a bit of a drag, but I'd rather that than have people trashing the place.
Talk about red tape. By the time they are able to break ground, they'll already need to start working on another building!
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Because it's a great place to live? Because it isn't Texas or China where business makes all the calls?
As someone who has lived in both Texas and California, you're being silly. California is a hellhole, run-down infrastructure, terrible government that can't even keep the lights on while ripping people off with absurd levels of taxation. Overrun with violent gangs who are only marginally worse than the violent thugs in uniform.
"California" meant something in the 40s-60s. A land of opportunity. But that is now a fantasy as the state has been destroyed. (Which is why it is bankrupt). Funny how people will ignore reality to convince themselves of the fantasy of the past. Alas, that potential was never realized- it was killed by liberalism.
Texas is pretty, runs well, has decent government (though too conservative for my taste at least they aren't the extremists you see in california), it's relatively safe, the roads are good, you don't have brownouts, and taxes are more reasonable.
This is why Texas is growing like a weed.
It's true. It's beautiful. Great natural environment and perfect weather. Regulations are a bit of a drag, but I'd rather that than have people trashing the place.
Well, people are voting with their feet and leaving california like crazy, in increasing numbers to boot. Far more people move from California to Texas than the reverse, each year.
There are a lot of states which much better environments, like oregon or washington, and california is overrun with aholes who want to dictate everything from what food you eat to what you're allowed to think.
I thought they were peach trees… Whatever they were, the trees were chosen over apples because Cupertino was originally known for its [whatever fruit it is] orchards.
1. There are horrible drivers out there. No way to deny them.
2. Impact studies. Lots of towns require them if access could be detrimental for traffic patterns. New shopping centers office parks will need to coordinate and make improvements.
3. Since it's being build with private money, no one should care how much it costs.
1. Maybe don’t give licenses to idiots, then? “Erratically”…
2. … What… responsibility… does APPLE, a PRIVATE COMPANY, have… policing TRAFFIC violations… on PUBLIC ROADS?!
3. Has there ever been a building in the history of human civilization that did not come in over budget? Who are these morons budgeting every building too low, anyway? You’d think they’d learn by now.
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1. Idiots do get licenses, since it's easier to get a driver's license in the U.S. than just about anywhere else in the world, but even if that wasn't the case, there are lots of idiot or simply rude (and therefore dangerous) drivers. But even aside from that, poorly designed roads do cause accidents and I don't think I've ever seen a road with three left turn lanes. So I think there is potential for problems there. Roads should be designed with idiots in mind.
2. No one said anything about policing traffic violations, they said that Apple would help "monitor" violations (which I assume would be crossing lanes where not permitted). But after the entrances to the highway are built or enhanced and the campus opened, I think it would be near impossible to change them again, so this "monitoring" might be a moot point anyway. It needs to be built right the first time and if the highway needs new entrances or exits because of Apple, perhaps Apple should fund that.
3. They budget too low in order to get the decision to build. Budgeting too low is not the issue - I don't blame the architect or the contractors. I blame the idiots who are willing to sign contracts permitting builders to take cost overruns, especially when governments do this. As far as I'm concerned, if you sign a contract to build my building and you've seen all the plans, it's your responsibility to build it for that cost (except for perhaps a 10% allocation), not mine. I consult for a software development company. If we under estimate a fee we give to a client, we have to eat it, unless we're working on a time-and-materials basis, which is rare. We don't get to say, "oh, sorry, our costs went up -you have to pay double what we told you."
yes, they will vote yes... The Late Steve Jobs show respect to the council by meeting with him... and it was a great effort for him, not only because he was CEO but because he was in poor health. also the project is a boon for cupertino sowhy would they not vote yes?
and no it won't be covered "live" maybe live on a local cable station...., Steve Jobs appearance was taped (that has i saw his appearance, the video was linked on appleinsider...)
I love the design for this campus, restoring natural habitat, minimizing impact on the local environment (e.g. limiting height to 4 stories), incorporating the region's history, and so much more. The shrill whining of the pompous architecture critics (that Apple is "exclusionary") seems all the more ridiculous as so many members of the local community spoke out in support of the project during the meeting. Just another example of Apple disrupting the status quo (the current community-deferential trend in architecture) for the better. If Apple had listened to the critics there would just be shards of steel and glass jutting out of concrete (but as long as someone from the community can ride their bicycle through it, it's all good), which reminds me of a couple other tech company campus plans.
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As someone who has lived in both Texas and California, you're being silly. California is a hellhole, run-down infrastructure, terrible government that can't even keep the lights on while ripping people off with absurd levels of taxation. Overrun with violent gangs who are only marginally worse than the violent thugs in uniform.
"California" meant something in the 40s-60s. A land of opportunity. But that is now a fantasy as the state has been destroyed. (Which is why it is bankrupt). Funny how people will ignore reality to convince themselves of the fantasy of the past. Alas, that potential was never realized- it was killed by liberalism.
Texas is pretty, runs well, has decent government (though too conservative for my taste at least they aren't the extremists you see in california), it's relatively safe, the roads are good, you don't have brownouts, and taxes are more reasonable.
This is why Texas is growing like a weed.
Well, people are voting with their feet and leaving california like crazy, in increasing numbers to boot. Far more people move from California to Texas than the reverse, each year.
There are a lot of states which much better environments, like oregon or washington, and california is overrun with aholes who want to dictate everything from what food you eat to what you're allowed to think.
I was born and raised in CA, currently living in TX, and I can personally attest to just about everything you said. Unfortunately TX is a little bit too extreme in the opposite direction (but not as extreme as CA). People don't understand just how poorly run and corrupt CA government is. They don't understand how leftist politics can be so bad in a state that elects republican governors. It's because one party (the democrats) have a complete stranglehold on the state (due to district gerrymandering), allowing them to serve their own interests (unions, extreme leftist groups) without any contest whatsoever.