Apple Inc. already appears to be getting ready to build the next phase of its Northwest Austin campus, a welcome sign for those wondering about the status of major office projects in the region in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The technology company is not commenting on the expansion timeline but construction documents filed with the state indicate work could start in February on three more structures.
The filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation also provided some fresh details about the scope of the next phase of the campus.
The Aug. 5 filings — using the names Capstone Phase Two AC03, AC08 and G2 — list a combined estimated cost of $279 million.
AC03 is described as a five-level building totaling 368,726 square feet. It has an estimated cost of $100 million, and HKS Architects Inc. is attached as designer.
AC08 will be a 298,977-square-foot multi-story building but does not yet have an official floor count. It’s also the most expensive project of the three, with an estimated cost of $118 million. HKS Architects is again attached as architect.
G2 is a 1.2 million-square-foot parking garage with nine levels and room for 3,500 cars. The estimated cost of the project is $61 million, and KAI Design is attached as the designer.
All projects have an estimated construction start of Feb. 1, 2023, with completion expected by Feb. 1, 2025.
It’s important to note that TDLR filings are often preliminary and details can change, but in this case they offer a glimpse into the tech powerhouse’s local real estate plans.
The iPhone maker already has four large buildings on the site that are receiving finishing touches from construction crews.
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) announced the campus in December 2018 and the company has said it will be developed in five phases. Once complete, it’s expected to encompass 3 million square feet and include 12 office and amenity buildings, parking garages, a central utility plant and a daycare facility. A 192-room hotel and conference center were also proposed in an April 2020 site plan.
The initial phase of the campus has room for 5,000 employees, and the company said it could eventually be home to 15,000 when complete. With about 7,000 employees already in Austin, that kind of growth could make Apple the largest private-sector employer in Austin in the coming years, surpassing Dell Technologies Inc. and H-E-B LP.
Austin annexes more of Apple land
Additionally, more of the land surrounding the campus was recently annexed into Austin city limits. City Council on July 28 approved annexation of 52.6 acres owned by Apple at 6204 W. Parmer Lane into Austin’s full purpose jurisdiction. The land was zoned for pasture land and agriculture uses, according to city documents, and borders both the eastern and southern edges of Apple’s campus.
City documents state that the land “will be part of an expansion of (Apple’s) campus,” but did not go into detail about what the expansion details or timeline.
Apple did not respond to requests for comment. In June, the company told Austin Business Journal there were no immediate plans to develop the annexed land.
Construction started on Apple campus in 2019
Construction crews broke ground on the new campus in November 2019 with Kansas City-based JE Dunn Construction Co. as general contractor for the project, according to past ABJ reporting.
Austin-based Generational Commercial Properties is also involved in the project, and GCP President Joe Llamas has previously overseen local development for Apple. Llamas did not return requests for comment.
Other members of Apple’s development team include Studio8 Architects, which designed the campus and its buildings; Nudge Design as landscape architect; Garza EMC as civil engineer; Cardno for structural engineering; and Bay & Associates for mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering.
Austin’s office construction pipeline is one of the busiest in the nation, according to NAI Partners’ latest quarterly market report. The metro has 11.3 million square feet under construction, with 54% of that pre-leased. Additionally, 1.1 million square feet was delivered during the first half of the year.
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