Apple campus in RTP stuck..

[Undilaemanchikalam]

Three years after Apple announced plans to develop a huge campus with thousands of workers in Research Triangle Park, the site remains quiet even as the company continues to hire in the region.

In April 2021, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) announced plans for a 3,000-job hub in RTP. But the tech giant has not released any public updates on the project since. And while public records show movement behind the scenes from a design standpoint, construction at the site off Louis Stephens Drive and Little Drive has yet to start.

It’s not, however, because of a regulatory holdup on Wake County’s end, officials say. Public records show paperwork for a pair of permits on Little Drive tied to a temporary gravel pad — a likely staging area for equipment to support future construction and often the first visible sign that a project has started — has been in for about a year.

The permits, however, have not been issued. And Wake County officials insist that’s on Apple.

“We have not received any resubmittal from the applicant … until such time the applicant resubmits, we cannot conclude our review and issue approval,” a county spokeswoman said.

Tim Maloney, director of planning development and inspections for Wake County, said he’s not aware of any expiration or deadline that would force Apple to act or else start the process over.

Without permits in hand, dirt can’t move at the site, he said.

A stormwater management permit for the gravel pad was finalized last July and has been sitting in the system awaiting a resubmittal. A land use permit application for the same address was filed just over a year ago, its status listed as “on hold" with customer action required.

Maloney said the permitting timeline typically depends on “how responsive the applicant is.”

“It can be a few weeks to several months,” he said.

Apple did not comment for this story.

But once a permit is issued, the countdown might begin. Building permits expire if there are no inspections within six months, pursuant to state law. That could mean Apple is waiting until it’s absolutely ready to start site work prior to taking the final steps needed to move forward.

Apple has had some approvals from the state, specifically for a pair of erosion and sediment control plans dated last August (for 63.5 acres) and last June (for an additional area of less than an acre).

Maloney said the construction entrance is covered by an erosion and sediment control permit and that, after submitting paperwork to the county, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality stepped in to take over permitting for those plans.

No inspections have been conducted, according to an NCDEQ spokesperson. And by statute, Apple has three years to act before it needs to start the process over with the state.

No real progress appears to have been made by Apple.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) has done some minimal work at the site, such as installing some of the power supply to the area around the property. But it's "waiting for additional development on the site before more work can be done," according to a company spokesman

Apple has said its RTP campus will focus on engineering, artificial intelligence and machine learning. The tech company headquartered in Cupertino, California, said it would invest $552 million and create at least 3,000 jobs paying an average of $187,000 a year.

Filings hint at a 2026 timeframe for the project, which was approved for up to $845.8 million in state incentives, provided it meets certain milestones.