Apple Leases Entire Building in West Austin

Apple has leased an entire office building in Westlake, flashing light at the end of the tunnel for an Austin market that’s been grappling with record-high office vacancies since the pandemic.

The tech giant will occupy 82,000 square feet of the 82,787-square-foot Las Cimas I building, about 10 miles west of downtown, the Austin Business Journal reported, citing Cushman & Wakefield.

JLL is marketing the property, located at 804 Las Cimas Parkway.

Tenant buildout is ongoing, according to a January filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The $18 million renovation will overhaul the three-story building. While Apple is not listed as a tenant in the filing, the project is slated for completion in October, with Oz Architecture overseeing the design.

Apple continues to expand its footprint in Austin; the Westlake lease complements a series of construction filings for its sprawling $1 billion campus in Northwest Austin. The company employs nearly 10,000 people in the metro, positioning itself as one of the region’s largest private employers, the outlet reported.

Moreover, Apple’s commitment to Austin is underscored by its relocation of specialized personnel from San Diego, particularly those versed in artificial intelligence and Siri technology. The company’s Austin portfolio also comprises the Americas Operations Center near Parmer Lane and a seven-story, 217,000-square-foot building at 320 South Capital of Texas Highway.

Apple’s Northwest Austin campus, spanning 3 million square feet, is set to include 12 amenity-filled office buildings, parking garages, a central utility plant and a separate daycare building. A 192-room hotel and conference center is also a possibility.

Apple’s Westlake lease is the fourth-largest in Austin since last year. The largest happened last May, when IBM committed to 320,000 square feet at Houston-based Hines’ 500,000-square-foot office project in the Domain district of North Austin.

—Quinn Donoghue