Apple postpones plans for RTP Campus at RTP. The company says it remains committed to the region

Consumer electronics giant Apple is delaying its plans to build a campus in Research Triangle Park. But the company says it remains committed to growth in the region.

Apple executives briefed state officials last week on its plans to move forward with one of the region’s largest economic development projects. The company wants to delay the start of the project for up to four years after reviewing its properties, according to people familiar with Apple’s plans.

The maker of MacBook computers and mobile devices like iPads and iPhones announced plans in 2021 to build a 1-million-square-foot research and development campus at RTP — a project 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 by 2032. State officials said in 2021 that the state’s economy was expected to grow by $79.8 billion over 39 years.

In the past three years, Apple has hired more than 600 people in the Triangle, and is continuing to hire in the area, according to the company and government officials. The company now employs nearly 1,600 people in the state.

“Apple has been operating in North Carolina for more than two decades, and we are deeply committed to growing our teams here,” Rachel Wolf Tolley, a company spokeswoman, said in a statement Monday. “…We look forward to developing our new campus in the coming years.”

Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement Monday that he spoke with company executives. “They have reiterated their commitment to building this transformative campus here in North Carolina,” he said, adding that the project “ultimately will be among the company’s most important campuses.”

State commerce officials approved an economic stimulus package in 2021 that includes grants of up to $845.8 million to be paid to Apple over 39 years, conditional on the company meeting various performance goals. The promised jobs were expected to offer salaries averaging $187,001 — nearly three times the county average at the time of the announcement.

Trade officials are now regularly reviewing the status of economic incentives related to the company’s plans.