This article was published on November 4, 2015

Report: Apple plotting new mega-campus in San Jose


Report: Apple plotting new mega-campus in San Jose

Although Apple is putting the finishing touches on its ultra-futuristic “spaceship” campus in Cupertino, the tech giant might still put more buildings up around the Bay Area.

According to a report from the Silicon Valley Business Journal, Apple is working with the city of San Jose to create a huge 4.5 million square-foot secondary campus. To put that in perspective, Apple’s spaceship is just 2.8 million square feet.

As of right now, the only thing on the table is a draft of a development agreement: this isn’t the full-color proposal that Google submitted to the nearby city of Mountain View earlier this year. But it does iron out the development rights for the next 15 years for the total of 86 acres of land bought and leased by Apple in San Jose.

A report from San Jose Mercury News, which covered the previous sales of land to Apple, indicates that the campus could be big enough to help bolster Apple’s early steps into the automotive industry. Apple execs met with the California DMV last month, spurring talks that it could dive headlong into the driverless car space.

Screenshot 2015-11-04 13.23.38
Photo: Silicon Valley Business Journal

Everything remains speculative, but it’s an interesting turn for a company that has deep roots in Cupertino. There’s no guarantee that Apple will be successful in San Jose, but it will be interesting to see whether the company will entertain something similar to Google’s work/live proposal.

While housing affordability and general living in San Francisco could probably be described as “so-so,” if you’re optimistic, companies with major leverage to buy land (the Googles, Apples, and LinkedIns of the world) are under pressure to create attractive places for people to work and to stay.

It’s also a sign that Apple is thinking long-term in growth and doubling down on its presence in the Bay Area. Don’t expect it to pick up anytime soon.

Exclusive: Apple contemplating huge campus of up to 4.15 million square feet in north San Jose [Silicon Valley Business Journal]

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