Apple Park

Apple Park, formerly known as Apple Campus 2 and “The Spaceship,” is located in the north eastern portion of Cupertino near the borders of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. It was one of the last projects that Steve Jobs oversaw. You can view Steve Jobs’ 20-minute presentation to the Cupertino City Council on June 7, 2011. Below are frequently asked questions the City of Cupertino Councilmembers and staff have received about the project. See City Council actions and approved documents.

• At its peak, Hewlett Packard, which had previously owned the property, had approximately 9,800 employees. With Apple’s redevelopment, it is anticipated that there will be approximately 13,200 employees at Apple Park, an increase of 3,400 people.
• While cities are not specifically required to house all employees, California state law requires cities to plan for housing demand as a result of expected job growth. As part of a required Housing Element, each city is required to plan for a certain allocation of housing over a specific period (Regional Housing Needs Allocation or “RHNA.”) Cupertino’s commitment to meeting its RHNA and to creating more opportunities for affordable housing is reflected in various policies adopted and championed by the City Council.
• Cupertino’s Housing Element (HE), adopted in May 2015, identified sites throughout the city to accommodate its (RHNA) to help improve the jobs to housing ratio and to bring housing closer to jobs.

• In addition, in 2015, the Council increased developer in-lieu fee contributions toward affordable housing. Additionally, the City successfully negotiated with developers to include affordable housing within their projects that would be affordable for lower income residents, teachers, etc.
• Since adoption of the HE and increased housing mitigation fees, the City has approved 807 new residential units:
  • Hamptons – 600 net new homes (total 942 units); 71 affordable units (41 very low and low income; 30 moderate income)
  • Marina Plaza – 188 net new homes; 18 affordable units (16 very low income; 2 moderate income)
  • The Verandas – 19 net new homes; 18 senior affordable units (6 extremely low income, 6 very low income and 6 low income)
• Since approval of the Apple Project, the City has approved several new Housing Development Projects including those at the former Oaks Shopping Center, the Vallco Regional Mall and is working on processing several other housing developments as of December 2024. As the City works toward implementation of housing goals, it will continue to look for ways to incorporate more housing and affordable housing options.

• Apple has a robust transportation demand program with a multi-pronged approach that encourages employees to walk, bike, or take transit to work. Apple has a very successful shuttle service for its employees, serving people who live as far as Napa, Santa Cruz, and places in between. Currently, 28% of Apple employees commute by alternative means of transportation.
• In addition, Apple has committed to increasing the share of employees using an alternative means of transportation on the new campus to 34%. The newly built campus has a transit center to accommodate buses and bicycles for employees to use as they commute from home and get around the City to other offices. Apple also plans to provide other incentives to reduce car trips.

• The Apple Park project is no different than any other construction project built in Cupertino when it comes to the review and approval of construction drawings stamped and signed by licensed professionals. Plans developed for each building are submitted to the City for review to verify compliance with all local and State adopted codes and regulations. These codes standards consist of Building and Fire Life Safety, Structural, Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical, Accessibility, and Energy regulations.
• Plans are also routed to the Planning and Public Works departments for review and approval to comply with requirements of these respective departments. Other departments and districts, such as the Fire Department, Health Department, Cupertino Sanitary District, Santa Clara and Cupertino Unified School Districts, Fremont Union High School District, Water District, Valley Transportation Authority, and PG&E were all collectively part of the development review process and ensure the codes and standards for each stakeholder have been met.
• Requests for building, fire, and Public Works inspections are dispatched and performed daily to verify the field conditions are consistent with the approved plans.

• Apple was required to make a total of $75 million in physical improvements in facilities located in the cities of Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Jose, as well as the County of Santa Clara and Caltrans jurisdiction. Contributions were made toward the following projects/studies identified with feedback from other cities and agencies were made:
  • Neighborhood funding – Funding for neighborhood cut-through and parking intrusion for the neighboring cities of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. Apple contribution: Approximately $750,0000.
  • Bus Stop Improvements – Contributions toward multimodal improvements for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus stop improvements. Apple contribution: Approximately $669,0000.
  • I-280 Corridor Study – a study to identify and evaluate a range of transportation-related improvement projects along the 22-mile corridor from the US 101/280 interchange in San Jose to the San Mateo County line near Palo Alto. Apple contribution: $500,000.
  • Safety upgrades at traffic signals to improve emergency access. Apple contribution: $300,000.
  • SR-85 Express Lanes – a proposal from the VTA to allow High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes on SR-85. This would allow solo riders to travel in the carpool or High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes for a fee. Apple contribution: Approximately $88,0000.
  • Restriping Project on I-280 – a proposal from Caltrans to restripe portions of I-280 to allow for safe and improving vehicle movement between El Monte and Magalena. Apple contribution: Approximately $35,0000.
• Apple has also been required to enhance the capacity of roadways and intersections within Cupertino, as well those owned and operated by other jurisdictions. These include:
  • Expanding the capacity of both the northbound and southbound I-280 off-ramps at Wolfe Road.
  • Constructing an additional eastbound lane along the Calvert Drive frontage south of I-280 between Stevens Creek Boulevard and Lawrence Expressway, including the installation of a new traffic signal at Calvert Drive and the addition of an eastbound right-turn lane on Stevens Creek Boulevard.
  • Adding a lane to the southbound on-ramp to I-280 at Lawrence Expressway.
  • Constructing an additional left-turn lane and right-turn-lane at the northbound Lawrence Expressway/I-280 off-ramp at Stevens Creek Boulevard.
  • Widening of northbound Wolfe Road between I-280 and Pruneridge Avenue.
  • Constructing a southbound right-turn-only lane on De Anza Boulevard at Homestead Road.
  • Lengthening of various left-turn pockets Citywide.