At its peak, Hewlett Packard, which had previously owned the property, had approximately 9,800 employees. With Apple’s redevelopment, it is anticipated that there will be approximately 13,200 employees at Apple Park, an increase of 3,400 people.
While cities are not specifically required to house all employees, California state law requires cities to plan for housing demand as a result of expected job growth. As part of a required Housing Element, each city is required to plan for a certain allocation of housing over a specific period (Regional Housing Needs Allocation or “RHNA.”) Cupertino’s commitment to meeting its RHNA and to creating more opportunities for affordable housing is reflected in various policies adopted and championed by the City Council.
Cupertino’s Housing Element (HE), adopted in May 2015, identified sites throughout the city to accommodate its (RHNA) to help improve the jobs to housing ratio and to bring housing closer to jobs.
- In addition, in 2015, the Council increased developer in-lieu fee contributions toward affordable housing. Additionally, the City successfully negotiated with developers to include affordable housing within their projects that would be affordable for lower income residents, teachers, etc.
- Since adoption of the HE and increased housing mitigation fees, the City has approved 807 new residential units:
- Hamptons – 600 net new homes (total 942 units); 71 affordable units (41 very low and low income; 30 moderate income)
- Marina Plaza – 188 net new homes; 18 affordable units (16 very low income; 2 moderate income)
- The Verandas – 19 net new homes; 18 senior affordable units (6 extremely low income, 6 very low income and 6 low income)
- As the City works toward implementation of housing goals, it will continue to look for ways to incorporate more housing and affordable housing options.
