Apple's Spaceship Campus Gets Final OK In Cupertino

The Cupertino, Calif., City Council gave final approval Tuesday night to the huge Apple Campus 2 project nicknamed the "Spaceship," NBC Bay Area in San Francisco reported. The vote was 4-0 with one abstention.

The Spaceship nickname comes from a 2.8 million-square-foot, ring-shaped building of glass and steel that will be the project's centerpiece, surrounded by 100 acres of green space and powered largely by solar and other “clean” energy.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will demolish the closed, 171-acre Hewlett-Packard site. Apple may also be in talks with transportation officials about paying to widen I-280 to accommodate freeway commuters.

Unveiled in 2011 by Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, the main structure will house some 12,000 employees, while ancillary facilities will be provided for meeting and presentation space. Much of the 150-acre plot is to be "reclaimed" with foliage and landscaping. Apple hopes to finish the project by 2015 or 2016.

According to Apple Insider, Mayor Orrin Mahoney gave the final OK following a unanimous vote city council vote in favor of starting the major build. "We're eager to see it happen. Go for it," Mahoney said.