Apple is building a massive R&D complex in San Jose
The site will be used for research and development, according to San Jose's city council.
"While much speculation has surrounded the actual activity proposed for the site, Apple has recently revealed that research and development will constitute a primary function of this campus. No better place than San Jose exists for R&D at this scale, as other recent investments attest," reads a memo signed by Mayor Sam Liccardo and other council members.
"We're still studying the site to determine the best use for us. At this point, it looks like it will be office and R&D," Christina Rapse, senior director of real estate for Apple, said at the public hearing.
The complex, which is across the 101 highway near San Jose's airport, covers 86 acres, and the development agreement allows Apple to construct as many as 4.15 million square feet of space, which would be larger than Apple's current main campus in Cupertino.
Apple's current campus at 1 Infinite Loop only comprises 850,000 square feet, and its planned 'Spaceship' Campus 2, currently under construction, will house 13,000 employees in 2.8 million square feet of floor space.
A thousand Apple employees will move into existing buildings on the San Jose site "within a few short months from now," according to city documents, while Apple builds out the rest of the campus.