A Peak Plan, A Park Pilot, & Pyramid-Lahm

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, December 18, 2025 and this is the 50th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Happy Chanukah to all of you who celebrate. Tonight is the fifth night of Chanukah which is significant as the point where lit candles outnumber unlit ones, symbolizing light overcoming darkness. 🕎

Here’s another interesting fact: over the last 6 years, Apex has added, on average, 13 more people to the Town every single day.

That’s 29,000 more people in 6 years (a 53% increase.)

Here are a few ways to visualize 29,000 people:

• If 29,000 people of average height stood on each other's shoulders to form a vertical tower, they would reach roughly 30 miles into the sky, entering the stratosphere. It’s equal to stacking 5.5 Mount Everests on top of each other.

• If you hosted an event with 29,000 people and you want to personally welcome everyone, and you shake hands and say hello to one person at a time every 10 seconds without any breaks, it would take you 3.5 days to get through the line.

• The average life expectancy in the United States is roughly 79 years. 79 years is approximately 29,000 days. If you look at a crowd of 29,000 people, each person represents one single day of an entire human life.

• If 29,000 people stood in a straight line holding hands (allowing ~1.5 meters per person), the line would stretch for 27 miles. This is slightly longer than a full marathon.

• The Lenovo Center (formerly PNC Arena) holds 20,000 people. The people new to Apex in the last 6 years could fill the stadium almost 1.5x.

• On an average day, roughly 40,000 passengers travel through RDU. 29,000 people is roughly 75% of all the people walking through both terminals at RDU in a full 24-hour period.

But growth isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s about how it's managed. That is why the Peak Plan 2055 is critical. At Tuesday’s work session, new survey results confirmed what we already knew: residents overwhelmingly want green space, traffic fixes, and gathering places, not just more housing subdivisions.

However, executing this vision requires a Council willing to say “no” to developers. With two sitting members heavily funded by the NC Realtors PAC and three new members they actively endorsed, the entire Town Council is now aligned with the development lobby. Holding them accountable to the residents' wish list, rather than their donors' wish list, may be our biggest challenge.

I’ll dig into this a bit more in one of the sections down below.

Thank you for supporting me and The Peak Weekly for almost a full year! I hope you enjoy this week’s edition. I’ll be back in your inbox for #51 on Christmas morning! Don’t forget my milk and cookies. 🥛🍪 

Miscellaneous Info:

🔒️ Town Closures
All Town offices and facilities will be closed Wednesday, December 24th through Friday, December 26th. Thursday/Friday trash collection routes will operate one day delayed.

🏞️ Park Pilot
Beginning January 1, 2026, the Town will launch a pilot initiative to expand morning operational hours. This pilot will run up to eight months and will include the opening of all park entrance gates during all hours. Park hours will be changed from 6:30am opening to 5:30am opening and park entrance gates will no longer be locked.

🏆️ Arts & Humanities Award
Apex Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Resources has received the Arts & Humanities Award from the North Carolina Recreation & Parks Association for the White Oak Creek Greenway mural – “Together Wild” by Sean Kernick!

🎁 The Gift of Playing it Forward
Apex’s Play It Forward scholarship fund helps remove barriers to participation by allowing residents to apply for funds that can be used towards most Apex Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (PRCR) programs. Making a donation is a great end of year gift!

🏛️ Serve on an Advisory Board
Apex is currently accepting applications from residents within the Town’s corporate limits to serve on the Planning Board, Board of Adjustment, and the Environmental Advisory Board (EAB). The Planning Board also has a very unique opening for residents who live within the Town’s Exterritorial limits (ETJ). The deadline to apply is Wednesday, December 29, 2025. 

⬅️ Dynamic Left Turn
You may have already noticed a new traffic signal feature on Kelly Road at the ramp to US64. The 'Dynamic Left Turn' signage was installed by NCDOT as a method to improve both safety and traffic flow at the intersection. During busy morning and evening commute times, these dual left turns will continue to be protected with a green arrow. During slower times, the rightmost left turn lane is deactivated, allowing drivers in the leftmost lane to turn when it's safe to do so with a flashing yellow arrow.

🧑‍⚖️ NC Supreme Court Drops Class Action in Apex Case
The North Carolina Supreme Court has vacated the class-action status of a lawsuit challenging the Town of Apex’s recreation fees for new residential developments. The court ruled that the dispute, initially brought by Empire Contractors, involves too many "fact-intensive" individual issues regarding property values and costs to be handled as a single group case. While the matter now returns to a trial judge for a new analysis, a concurring opinion notably criticized Apex’s handling of the fees as "constitutionally suspect," admonishing the town for collecting funds for parks that have yet to be built.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Not a ton of things going on this holiday week, but here’s a few things to do through the weekend:

Today, December 18

🕯️ Learning Lunch: Kwanzaa
12pm - 1pm | Senior Center

🏀 Family Basketball Ham Toss
6pm | John Brown Community Center

🍷 Wine & Wit - Senior Edition
8pm - 9:30pm | Peak of the Vine

Friday, December 19

🦌 Ugly Sweater Party
All Day | JD’s Tavern

Saturday, December 20

🚘️ Cars & Coffee: Holiday Porsche Show
8am - 11am | Sweetwater

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
9am - 12pm | The Depot

🎅 Lunch with Santa
12pm - 2pm | Doherty’s Irish Pub

🎉 5-Year Anniversary Celebration
12pm - 3pm | Mustang Charlie’s Diner

🎺 Apex Friendship HS Band Holiday Showcase
3pm | The Halle

🛼 80’s Prom Night
8pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

Local Business Updates

🍩 Sweetwater

I don’t have a ton of updates this week, but I can tell you that Peace, Love and Little Donuts is very close. Maybe a December opening. Probably January.

No official date here either, but Taki Sushi & Grill looks very close as well.

🌍️ A Quick Trip Around the World

Since I don’t have much else in terms of new business news, I want to share my international travels from yesterday, all within the town limits of Apex.

The wife and I started off with lunch at Yagg Sii Tenn.

We shared the Pyramid-Lahm (left) and the Jolof Rice Chicken Platter (right). Both were incredible. The atmosphere there is awesome and the staff is very kind and helpful. If you are looking for something new to try, please consider supporting them. I’m sure they are feeling it a bit from the Olive Chapel Road closure. Yagg Sii Tenn is over in Olive Chapel Professional Park (right next to Turkish Coffee Lady which is 10/10 too!)

On our way home, we stoped by Compare Foods, “a neighborhood supermarket providing quality international food and services.”

They had some of the best selection of meats that I’ve seen. All very high quality looking. The same for their produce - looked more fresh than I’ve seen at some of the other grocery store chains. Lots of great snacks and treats too. Stop in next time you’re driving by!

We finished the day at Kaara Modern Indiana Restaurant in Sweetwater.

To quote my wife, “If you don’t write that this is the best Butter Chicken I’ve ever had in my life… you’re fired.” 🫡 

Honestly, though… the best. Everything was. I had high expectations going in and they exceeded that. Solid addition to Apex!

Peak Plan 2055

I decided to make this its own section this week because a lot of interesting information came from the presentation shared during the Work Session on Tuesday. You can view the entire 373-page presentation here but I have pulled out all of the highlights for you below:

Rapid Growth: The previous plan (Advance Apex 2045) was adopted in 2019 when the population was ~55,000. Today, the population is over 84,000. It is necessary to now update our 30-year plan.

Housing is New & Expensive: 67% of Apex’s housing stock has been built since 2000. The median home value is $564,000, creating challenges for affordability and "naturally occurring" affordable units

Traffic & Safety: Traffic congestion was ranked as the #1 transportation topic by survey respondents (92%). Data shows 6 intersections with over 80 crashes each between 2020–2024.

Land Use: Currently, 36% of the land area is residential, while only 3% is commercial and 4% is industrial. This imbalance impacts the tax base and local job availability.

Results from the Community Survey:

Top Priorities to Protect: The top response was Natural Environment (51%) followed by Parks & Rec opportunities (36%).

Top Issues to Address: The top response was Population Growth (47%) followed by Natural Resource Preservation (42%).

Desired Development: Residents voted Parks/Rec Facilities (58%), Restaurants (44%), Community Centers (37%). There is specific demand for an expanded Senior Center and "third places" (plazas/gathering spots). 67% of residents define "quality development" as preserving vegetation.

Housing Preferences: While single-family homes are popular (37% for large lots), there is surprisingly high interest in Cottage Courts (36%) and Housing for Seniors (29%).

NC-55 Corridor: The plan includes a specific study for widening and improving NC-55 (Williams St). 76% of residents want improved pedestrian crosswalks at intersections. 64% support separated crossings (bridges/tunnels) for bikes and pedestrians.

Other Civil News:

🚀 Community Readiness Plan

This is a new strategic initiative designed to help Apex prepare for future "disruptions" rather than just traditional growth. The Council is being asked to prioritize "drivers of change" that will shape the town's future stability with a focus on these four things based on community input:

1. Housing (Affordability and availability)

2. Climate (Resilience to extreme weather)

3. Water (Long-term supply and quality)

4. Artificial Intelligence (Impact on workforce and town operations)

💰 How Would You Spend $5M?

The Town asked, in its budget prioritization survey, how you would choose to spend 5 million (pretend) dollars across five strategic goal areas.

459 People Responded. And here’s what they said:

• Responsible Development: 32% of the "budget" went here (roads, sidewalks).

• High Performing Government: 16% (employee pay/training).

• A Welcoming Community: 15% (parks and downtown).

Staff’s "Top 5" Scored Projects. These projects received the highest internal scores for funding priority:

• Annual Pavement Management (Road repairs).

• Fire Station 3 (Renovation/Addition).

• Public Safety Station 7 (Olive Farm Area).

• Fire Department Admin Building.

• Beaver Creek Greenway Renovation (Fixing flood-prone areas).

Notable Big Ticket Items:

• Wimberly Road Park: A massive $98M project for a 50-acre park with a 70k sq. ft. recreation center (slated for future years).

• Beaver Creek Greenway Extension: $17.7M to connect Jaycee Park to the American Tobacco Trail.

🛣️ Salem Streetscape Bid Awarded

Downtown will soon undergo a major transformation. This project, a top priority in the Downtown Master Plan and Parking Study, says it will enhance walkability, add inviting new spaces to gather, and strengthen Downtown’s economic vitality while preserving its historic charm.

The budget for this project, based on the Engineer’s Estimate, was $2,487,196. Two bids were received by contractors: one for $4,844,431 (95% over estimate) and one for $4,318,648 (74% over estimate).

Council had two options: award the bid to one of those estimates or reject both bids and re-advertise the project with a reduced scope.

On Tuesday, Council voted 5-0 to award the bid to Browe Construction Company moving the project budget from $2.5M to $4.8M (the $4.3M bid plus a 10% contingency). The extra money will come from the Town General Fund. The project timeline is 270 days starting in January and completing in October.

If you’re curious why the bids came in much higher than the estimate, here are the primary line items of significant price difference:

💸 Capital Improvement Plan

The current 5-year plan is underfunded by about $242M. To account for this, it will take a huge tax increase or certain other projects might need to be delayed.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Thursday, December 18
Special Meeting: Environmental Advisory Subcommittee Board
5pm - 6pm | Town Hall

Thursday, December 18
Environmental Advisory Board Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, January 13
Regular Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead

December 24-26 | All Day
🔒️ Town Offices and Facilities Closed

December 27 | 8pm
👋 Farewell 2025 | Peak of the Vine

December 31 | 11:30am - 12pm
🎈 Noon Year’s Eve Party | Eva Perry Library

December 31 | 2pm - 5pm
🎉 Family-Friendly NYE Celebration | Bottle Theory

December 31 | All Night Long
🍾 New Year Celebration | JD’s Tavern

December 31 | 9pm - 2am
🥂 New Years Even Celebration | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

January 1 | All Day
🔒️ Town Offices and Facilities Closed

January 6 | 12pm - 1pm
✂️ Ribbon Cutting for Kim’s Yong-In Martial Arts

January 8 | 4pm - 5pm
✂️ Ribbon Cutting for OneLife Fitness

January 16-19 | Times Vary
👑 MLK Commemoration Weekend | Various Locations

January 23 | 3pm - 4pm
✂️ Ribbon Cutting for Salon Hue

In Case You Missed it…

🎄 Home for the Holidays

The Wake County Animal Center’s “Home for the Holidays” campaign is offering special adoption fees throughout December: $25 for dogs and $5 for cats and kittens.

🐶 View the Adoption Gallery Here 🐈‍⬛ 

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at [email protected]

See you next Thursday... 😘