Apple Gets Permission for Ridiculously Big Spaceship Campus

Apple has been talking about its new spaceship campus for a long time. We first heard about Steve Jobs' plans to redevelop land owned by Apple and build a massive modern office back in June of 2011. While Jobs may no longer be with us, Apple still plans to build the office, and the whole thing was originally scheduled for completion in 2015. Though the land, which Apple acquired from HP, is mostly industrial, concrete and asphalt, the company is seeking to completely change the landscape of that area with a large building that Steve Jobs characterized as looking a bit like a spaceship.

Unfortunately, to do that, they needed permission from Cupertino City Council, so construction was delayed until approval was obtained. Now, two and a half years after Steve Jobs first revealed the new HQ, San Jose Mercury News reports that Cupertino City Council has approved the new building in a unanimous vote. The building measures 2.8-million-square-feet and its four stories will house as many as 14,200 Apple employees.

Mercury News cites Council member Mark Santoro as saying though the project will 'certainly cause traffic issues' Apple is working with the council to solve those problems.

Now that it has approval from the City Council, Apple says it hopes to start demolishing buildings on the site before the end of this year. The donut-shaped building is now expected to be completed by 2016.

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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.