Project Updates and Festive Dogs

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, December 4, 2025 and this is the 48th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. The Cowboys won and I broke my deviled egg record so all well here!

There’s a whole lot more coming up to get you in the holiday spirit so let’s jump right into it!

Tomorrow night is the Tree Lighting Ceremony and Saturday is the Christmas Parade. It’s a big event so I thought I’d kick off this week’s newsletter with a little know-before-you-go.

Christmas Parade on Saturday
The Apex Rotary Club Christmas Parade is being held this year on Saturday December 6, 2025. The parade will feature over 100 entries and 11 marching bands. It will take place rain or shine.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Parade Route: Starting at 5:00pm at the intersection of Ambergate Station and Apex Peakway, the parade will head down Salem Street and end at the Apex Public Works Buildings on Upchurch St.

• Chair Placement: The sidewalk along N Salem St. between Chatham and Center Streets will be clearly marked to indicate where chairs can be placed after 10 pm on Friday. Chairs that do not meet these guidelines will be relocated to the Apex Police Department for pickup.

• ADA-Accessible Viewing Area: Apex Fire Station 1 will be a designated area for those with accessibility concerns to watch the parade. A limited number of parking spaces will be available behind the fire station for those with an accessible/handicap parking pass. Spaces will be first come, first serve. 

• Bleacher Seating: Two sections of bleachers will be placed in front of the Apex Fire Station 1 and available for the public to use. This is first come, first serve.

• Road Closures and Parking: Salem Street from Apex Peakway to Hwy 55 will be closed on Saturday from 1pm to 8pm. All other street closures can be seen here. And the downtown parking map can be seen here.

• S’Mores Talk: Look for the new food truck, S’Mores Talk, which will be making its debut at the parade.

• GoApex: GoApex Route 1 will operate with an alternate route from 1pm to 10pm to get parade attendees to Salem Street with ease. Here’s the detour route.

• Watch From Home: Don’t want to deal with the parking and traffic? Watch from home! WRAL will be airing a live broadcasting of the Apex Christmas Parade.
  
  

Miscellaneous Info:

🐮 Cop on Top - Today
“Cops on Top” is raising money today for Special Olympics North Carolina. Apex PD will be collecting donations and selling merch from 8am until 5pm today at the Chic-fil-A on Hughes Street.

🌼 Spring Program Guides (Jan-April)
The Apex Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department has released the January-April 2026 Program Guides. Access them here.

🥪 Lunch with the Water Resources Department
Bring your lunch and your questions to engage directly with the Stormwater team staff, and gain a deeper understanding of the operations that support everyday life in Apex. This is a 45-minute discussion with Q&A today at 12pm.

🩰 Dances From the Nutcracker
Join Infinity Ballet’s family one-hour storybook series for “Nutcracker Dances”! Relive the magic of Clara’s dream as she witnesses a thrilling Battlescene, journeys through the enchanting Land of the Snowflakes, and arrives in the delightful Land of the Sweets. Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm, Sunday at 2pm and 4pm. Get tickets here.

🧴Dorcas Ministries Donation Drive
Now through January 19, the Town of Apex is collecting donations that benefit Dorcas Ministries. Items most needed include body wash, deodorant, laundry pods, toothpaste and more. See the full list and dropoff locations here.

🏠 Historical Home Tour
The Houses on Home Tour will take place on December 14 from 1pm - 5pm. Tours will include Harward House, Baucom-Olive House, R.B. Martin Sr. House, Maynard Pearson House and possibly the Halle Cultural Arts Center. The downtown caboose will also be open, which is an extremely rare event. Buy your tickets here.

🪀 Toys for Tots - Apex Fire
The Apex Fire Department is collecting new, unwrapped toys - big or small - to help make the season brighter for families in need. Now through December 15, you can drop off donations at AFD Stations 1, 3 and 5.

🏘️ Apex Beautification Grant
The Neighborhood Beautification Grant application period runs 1/20/26 - 2/20/26. Neighborhoods interested in applying must attend an information session. There will be two sessions this coming Monday: 12pm and 6pm, both at the Halle Cultural Arts Center.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, December 5

🎄Tree Lighting Ceremony
4:30pm - 7pm | Town Hall Campus

💚 Photos with The Grinch & Storytime
5pm - 8pm | Fratelli’s Deli

(Fratelli’s is a Toys for Tots sponsor and donations are always welcome)

Saturday, December 6

🥞 Rotary Annual Pancake Breakfast (ticket required)
7am - 11am | AFD 1

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

🍳 Bubbles & Bites Sing-a-long Brunch
11:30am - 1:30pm | Rudy’s Pub

🧸 Apex Tuning Toys for Tots
1pm - 4pm | Apex Tuning

🎁 European Christmas Market
1pm | Bottle Theory

🎅🏻 Christmas Parade 
5pm - 8pm | Downtown Apex

Things to Do Every Day This Week

🥗 18th Annual Holiday Tree & Wreath Exhibit and Auction
December 5-19 | The Halle

⛄️ Snowman Stroll on Salem
December 5-14 | Salem Street

✨ Holiday Tour of Lights 
December 6-31 | (map coming soon)

Local Business Updates

📦 UPS Store Now Open
The UPS Store in Sweetwater is now open at 1451 Richardson Rd.

 🛏️ Harmony Home Now Open
From their website: “We believe the spaces you live in should be beautiful, restful, and deeply personal. That’s why our approach is laid-back, consultative, and comfortable because finding the perfect piece for your home should feel just as good as it looks.” They are located at 1451 Richardson Rd, Suite 117 in Sweetwater.

🏋 One Life Fitness
Located at 1441 Beaver Creek Commons Dr, Onelife Fitness is set to officially open in just 5 days on December 9.

🍪 Groovy Duck Updates Coming
Press releases and official announcements coming this week (or possibly next week) from Groovy Duck. I don’t know but guessing we’ll find out an estimated opening date maybe. Stay tuned! (🗣️ Shout out to my homie Nancy Grace and to West Workshop for the inside scoop on this one.)

Note: I’m not the best at updating social media regularly. But I will update there if I find something out before next Thursday. Either way, you should follow Peak Weekly on Instagram!

🪣 The Rusty Bucket
The Rusty Bucket at Neighbor Boy Farm is now open nightly until 8. Come on by and experience the trees, hot cocoa and The Rusty Bucket! I’m so serious - if you have not been over here yet, do it!

🍷 Girls’ Day Pajamas & Prosecco
Slip into your comfiest Christmas jammies, grab your besties, and come sip on $5 prosecco at Southline Brewing Apex. Cozy nights, clinking glasses, and all the festive girlhood energy. Every Wednesday in December.

🐡 Vicious Fishes Has Closed
In devastating news, Vicious Fishes abruptly announced on Tuesday that they are closed for good. The land is pledged to a development group and it seems like something happened where they had to leave sooner than expected. That was one of our favorite and most frequented spots, so it’s a bummer.

Civil News:

🏛️ New Town Council
Yesterday evening, Sue Mu and Shane Reese were sworn in. They replace Brett and Audra who are officially no longer on the Council. Ed Gray was also sworn in for another term. The new Council’s first regular meeting will be this coming Tuesday.

🚧 Apex Peakway SW Connector
Through tomorrow, South Salem Street will be closed overnight from 9pm - 5am as the girder beams are installed over Salem St.

🏘️ Apex Announces Developer Roundtable to Advance Affordable Home Production
The Town of Apex Community Development & Neighborhood Connections (CDNC) Housing Division will convene local and regional development partners for a Developer Roundtable, “Partnering to Build Homes for All in Apex,” on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Apex Senior Center. View the Press Release here.

🛣️ Justice Heights Extension
This project will extend Justice Heights Street from its existing stub west of South Salem Street to intersect Apex Peakway, add sidewalk, and extend side path along Apex Peakway to the north. As of 12/1/25, right of way acquisition is complete. Final design in progress. Bid advertisement anticipated in spring 2026.

📄 On the Agenda: Planning Board Meeting

→ The Planning Board will review and vote on these items Monday night. Their recommendations go to the Town Council for a final decision.

Veridea "Master Plan" Update (Major Item): The massive Veridea sustainable development project is back with a significant amendment (#25CZ18). The developer is moving to consolidate recent land acquisitions into the "Sustainable Development" (SD-CZ) zoning district. Amendments to the Bike & Pedestrian Plan related to Veridea and the Apex Transit Plan will also be discussed. A new motion may also be made to the Environmental Enhancement Plan for Veridea.

Silver Peak: This is a request (#25CZ11) to rezone 3 acres from Rural Agricultural to Low Density Residential. It would allow for a small subdivision with a density of up to 3 units per acre.

55 Auto Group: A rezoning request (#25CZ16) to support the expansion or development of automotive use at 3521 Old US Hwy 1.

New Hill Olive Chapel Rezoning: This item (#25CZ13) will likely involve transitioning rural land for new residential or neighborhood business use (based on typical patterns in this corridor).

UDO Amendment: Related to temporary turnarounds in connection with stub streets.

👀 New Applications to Watch

→ These projects have recently submitted applications and may appear on agendas in early 2026. They are not on the Dec. 8 hearing agenda.

Apex Commerce Center South: This is a significant 56-acre proposal located west of the Jessie Dr. & Horton Park Dr. intersection. The plan is to rezone from rural agricultural to light industrial and medium density residential. This project relies on the Jessie Drive Extension, a major town infrastructure project currently underway to connect Ten Ten Rd to Veridea Pkwy. As of 12/1/25, right of way acquisition is complete for the Jessie Drive Extension. Final plans, specifications and bidding documents are in progress. Anticipated to be advertised in spring 2026 and construction in summer 2026.

Note: I’m not an expert on eminent domain and I’m not sure exactly how this all shook out with the Jessie Drive Extension. But I did see that more than 40 properties might experience an eminent domain taking for this project. If you know anything about this, please reach out.

North Salem Mixed Use: A 12.66-acre mixed-use project (#25CZ24) proposing up to 77 residential units (townhomes/single-family) and 84,000 sq. ft. of non-residential (office/commercial) space in the Downtown / North Salem area. Buildings would range from 3 stories (residential) to 4 stories (mixed-use).

Data Center Non-Update (opinion)

The developer was anticipated to resubmit their rezoning application and UDO amendments back in November. I have not yet seen this happen.

This newsletter includes my opinions on things fairly regularly, but just tagging this with ‘opinion’ to make sure you know this is speculation so take it for what it’s worth:

While I have not seen the resubmission yet, it’s definitely coming.

And so is the data center. And I will tell you why.

The Jordan Pointe neighborhood and surrounding area voted at Precinct 03-02. That precinct had 2,520 registered voters. A total of 1,482 votes were cast. Everyone got 3 votes, so that means 494 total voters out of 2,520 registered voters (20%).

80% of registered voters next to the data center stayed home on election day. And those that did go out and vote, just 13% of them voted for Andre, the most outspoken candidate against the data center. Quite a few other candidates also indicated they were against it and received very few votes.

But last night we swore in the 3 candidates who were the least transparent about it, and endorsed by council members who are running a narrative of why they are ‘required’ to vote yes… I don’t know what else to tell you except that the data center is coming. We had our chance at the ballot box, but elected the 3 most likely to vote in favor of the data center 🤷‍♂️ 

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Friday, December 5
Special Meeting: Environmental Advisory Board
11am - 12pm | Mason Street Municipal Building

Monday, December 8
Neighborhood Beautification Grant Info Session
12pm - 1pm | The Halle
and 6pm - 7pm | The Halle

Monday, December 8
Planning Board Meeting
4:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, December 9
Regular Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, December 10
Parks & Rec Advisory Monthly Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Home for the Holidays

The Wake County Animal Center’s “Home for the Holidays” campaign brings charming vintage holiday cards to life through animation. Throughout the holiday season, they will share a vintage or antique postcard paired with the story of a real adoptable dog or cat on Wake County Animal Center’s social media pages.

“Our pets’ holiday wishes are simple,” said Wake County Commissioner Shinica Thomas. “A warm home, lots of love and a family to call their own. We hope to show that these wishes are real and by adopting, the community can help make them come true.”

To make the season even brighter, Wake County Animal Center is offering special adoption fees throughout December: $25 for dogs and $5 for cats and kittens. Currently, there are 90 dogs, one rabbit, 40 cats and kittens at the Animal Center, along with 51 dogs, 59 cats and kittens in foster care.

🐶 View the Adoption Gallery Here 🐈️ 

A Look Ahead

December 12 | 5pm - 8pm
❄️ Holiday Winter Wonderland Night Market | Sweetwater

December 13 | 8am - 11am
🚘️ Cars & Coffee: Porsches | Sweetwater

December 14 | 4pm - 6pm
🕎 Chanukah Festival | Senior Center

December 18 | 12pm - 1pm
🕯️ Learning Lunch: Kwanzaa | Senior Center

December 20 | 12pm - 3pm
🎉 5-Year Anniversary Celebration | Mustang Charlie’s Diner

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

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

In Case You Missed it…

📲 Discounts Available
Mayor Gilbert has put together a nice little local coupon book on his app. Some of the discount deals include 50% off at The Mocha Room, Buy 2 Get 1 at Kilwins, 30% off at SoBol, a Free Gift promotion at Stylish Living, and more! If you don’t have the app, download it, click on Menu, and then click on Discount Coupons.

⬇️ Apple link | Android link

🎄 No Frills Christmas Trees
Neighbor Boy Farm, who does have a full service Christmas Tree Lot, has a new in & out Christmas Tree offering this year. Mon-Thurs from 9am-5pm just drive in, grab a wrapped NC Fraser fir tree, head out. The goal is to be simple and affordable. Cash only. Pricing and details here.

👮‍♂️ Police to Citizen Dashboard 
The P2C dashboard that went offline during the July 2024 cybersecurity incident is now back online. You can look up incidents and arrests by address or via the interactive map. It’s a bit wonky on mobile and definitely a better experience on desktop, but maybe that’ll improve over time. https://apexpdnc.policetocitizen.com/

🍕 🍺 Southern Peak Taproom & Pizzeria Now Open
Southern Peak Brewery is now officially open with second location - but this one with a kitchen - in Sweetwater. Items on the menu include meatballs, a charcuterie style board, nachos, garlic knots, soft pretzel and, of course, pizza.

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... 😘