Electronics giant Apple Inc. is shelving plans to build a corporate campus in Research Triangle Park, but says it remains committed to growth in the region.
Apple executives briefed state officials last week on plans to move forward with one of the region’s largest economic development projects. The company wants to delay the start of the project by up to four years after reviewing the property, according to people familiar with the plans.
The maker of MacBook computers, iPads, iPhones and other mobile devices has announced plans to build a 1 million-square-foot research and development campus in RTP in 2021. The project is expected to create 3,000 jobs in Wake County.
Apple said at the time that it planned to invest more than $1 billion in the state through 2032. State officials said in 2021 that the project was expected to grow the state’s economy by $79.8 billion over 39 years.
Apple has hired more than 600 people in the Triangle over the past three years and continues to hire in the area, according to company and government officials. The company currently employs about 1,600 people in the state.
“Apple has operated in North Carolina for more than 20 years and is committed to expanding our team here,” company spokeswoman Rachel Wolf Talley said in a statement Monday. “We look forward to progressing with the development of the new campus over the next few years.”
Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement Monday that he had spoken with company executives, who “underscored their commitment to building this transformative campus here in North Carolina,” the governor said, adding that the project “will ultimately be one of the company’s most important campuses.”
State commerce officials approved an economic incentives package in 2021 that will pay the company up to $845.8 million in grants over 39 years, contingent on Apple meeting various performance targets. The promised jobs are expected to pay an average salary of $187,001, nearly triple the county average at the time the announcements were made.
Commerce Department officials are currently conducting a routine review of the status of economic incentives related to the company’s plans.