Clues Point To Apple As Mystery Tenant Of Massive San Jose Construction Project
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) - Nobody loves a secret – and the associated publicity – more than Apple Inc. That's why many in the tech community are betting that the iPhone maker is the future resident of the city's largest-ever office construction project.
San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is said to be the only one at City Hall who knows the name of the firm moving into the site, which hugs Highway 101 right next to the San Jose Mineta Airport.
"I can't tell you who Company X is," said Reed. "Obviously it's a pretty big company because we're talking about two million square feet of office space."
Well-known Silicon Valley pundit Rob Enderle is going on the record, telling KPIX 5 that Apple is the most likely of the candidates.
"The only company who ever looked at it on this scale is Apple," said Enderle. "You've got Lenovo that doesn't really have a Silicon Valley presence. You've got Google that's trying to build up its presence; you've got Facebook, of course, that continues to need more resources. But the only company that's ever been solidly connected to that site is Apple."
Enderle says Apple first looked at the site in 2012. The development is being carried out by the firm Peery Arrillaga, historically one of Apple's favorite building partners.
Apple likes to locate on major freeway exits, like 280 and De Anza Blvd. in Cupertino and 280 and Stevens Creek Blvd. in Santa Clara. This site, at 101 and Brokaw Rd., matches up.
According to Apple, one in four employees already lives in San Jose. The tech giant is also looking to grow headcount by 46 percent in two years, bringing the workforce to over 23,000 total.
"To build a campus that would cover their need was going to be more massive than any one location would be able to hold," Enderle.
The company is already building a huge new Cupertino campus, known as 'The Spaceship' behind a 15 foot wall.
The San Jose project has been approved by City Hall, but there is still no tenant officially attached to it. No groundbreaking ceremonies have been planned.