Cupertino City Council approves construction of Apple Campus 2

Almost 2½ years after Steve Jobs first revealed his “spaceship” campus, the Cupertino, Calif., City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to give the company permission to build a new headquarters that is destined to become one of Silicon Valley’s most iconic structures.

“Steve transformed Apple into one of the most innovative companies in the world and we understand the responsibilities that come from carrying his legacy forward with this project,” Dan Whisenhunt, Apple’s head of real estate and facilities, told the council, according to the San Jose Mercury News. “We’ve designed it with the same care and attention to detail as we do with all Apple products.”

Four of the council members voted in favor with one member abstaining due to a personal conflict.

ANALYSIS: Is Cupertino sacrificing its core to Apple?

Apple will soon begin the massive undertaking of clearing 176 acres of land, including thousands of trees and the 26 current buildings on the site. The plans call for transforming the land from 80% concrete to only 20%, with the remainder being densely covered with trees and other landscaping goodies.

The centerpiece, though, will be the 2.8-million-square-foot circular headquarters that will have four floors and an exterior almost entirely of curved glass. The new facility will be home to up to 14,200 employees, almost triple the number previously working on the site.

While there have been some concerns about traffic, the project clearly had overwhelming support from local residents who were grateful that the company had made such a commitment to its historic hometown.

Apple says the building will be completed by 2016.

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