The Peak Weekly is Closed.

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, April 9, 2026 and this is the 66th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

As the subject line indicates, I’m sorry to tell you that we have made the difficult decision to close down The Peak Weekly… today in observance of National Unicorn Day 🦄 

And that’s because Unicorns are real.

(almost as real as that click-bait subject line)

Here’s the proof:

The Elasmotherium sibiricum was a giant, hairy rhino that lived alongside early humans until about 39,000 years ago. It had a massive single horn on its forehead and was well-known as the Siberian Unicorn. It likely served as the biological inspiration for many early unicorn myths in Central Asia.

You could actually even buy unicorn horns (alicorns) back in the day. In the Middle Ages, alicorns were worth many times their weight in gold. (But it turns out that most of these were actually narwhal tusks sold by Viking traders.)

Speaking of narwhals…

Did you know that scientists discovered that whales, like the narwhal, are actually “even-toed ungulates” that just happened to return to the ocean?

If you go back far enough, whales share a common ancestor with cows and hippos that walked on four legs and lived in the mud.

That means that the narwhal is less related to a shark and more related to a pig.

And speaking of pigs…

Miscellaneous Info:

🐖 Peak City Pig Fest is This Weekend!
This annual two-day event, hosted by Apex Sunrise Rotary Club, is coming up soon. April 10 & 11 at Town Hall Campus. It’s one of my favorite annual events. Food trucks, beer garden, live music, desserts… it’s a good time. Looks like beautiful weather too. Here’s everything you need to know.

🎪 Upcoming: PeakFest (New Location)
PeakFest will be relocated to Town Hall Campus + Hunter Street during the Salem Streetscape construction project. It will take place from 9am - 4pm and will feature over 100 vendors, festival food and food trucks, live music and entertainment, kids zone with inflatables and roving street performers.

☀️ Farmer’s Market Summer Hours
The Apex Farmer’s Market is now in its summer hours, starting up an hour earlier: every Saturday 8am-Noon downtown at the Depot.

🌿 Apex Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale
This Saturday, April 11 and next Saturday, April 19, the Apex Garden Club will have a booth at the Apex Farmers Market. They will be selling native perennial plants (harvested directly from their own gardens) as well as vegetable and herb plants started from seed by various members. The Garden Club uses the proceeds to maintain the planters in front of the Depot train car as well as the garden on the right-hand side of the building. They also periodically donate to various charitable organizations in Apex and Wake County.

✂️ Shred Day
Twice each year, during the Spring and Fall, the police department encourages all residents help keep identity theft away by bringing unwanted papers containing personal information to be shredded, free of charge. The next event is from 8-11am this Saturday, April 11, at the Public Works parking lot (105 Upchurch).

📷️ Fujifilm Hall
A major new anchor is coming to the Veridea area following Wake Technical Community College's recent application for a significant expansion of its Conlon Western Wake Campus. The project, situated on 34.16 acres north of Technology Drive and east of NC Highway 55, features a prominent five-story building named "Fujifilm Hall". Spanning approximately 114,000 square feet, this "Major Site Plan" represents a high-density institutional addition to the southern corridor, likely aimed at supporting the region's growing biotechnology and manufacturing workforce.

The development plans include six separate parking areas (Lots A–F) and community-focused amenities such as pedestrian plazas with stadium seating. To expedite construction, the college submitted a concurrent "Grading Only" minor site plan on April 1, 2026, allowing site preparation to begin while the full building design completes the town’s review process. Interestingly, a virtual neighborhood meeting held on March 25, 2026, concluded with no public attendees, signaling a quiet start for one of Apex's most significant upcoming vertical developments.

🚎 GoApex Route 1 Service Increases
Beginning Saturday, April 18th, GoApex Route 1 will increase the amount of service offered, nearly doubling the weekly trip options for riders! On Mondays-Saturdays, GoApex will operate 30-minute service from 6am-7pm and hourly service from 7pm-10pm. It will also operate new hourly service on Sundays from 7am-9pm. 

🚛 Landfill Study
Wake County has officially launched the "Beyond the South Wake Landfill Study" to plan for the future of waste management as the existing South Wake Landfill nears the end of its operational life. A new project website and a three-month public survey have been introduced to gather community feedback on environmental, financial, and operational priorities.

🚽 Restroom Renovations
Kelly Road Park restroom renovations are currently scheduled to begin on April 13th and will likely last through April 24th.

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, April 10

🐷 Peak City Pig Fest
5pm - 10pm | Town Hall Campus

0|||||0 Jeep Night
6pm | Mad Splatter

Saturday, April 11

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
8am - 12pm | The Depot

🗑️ Spring Shred Day
8am - 11am | Public Works Dept.

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🧚 Pottery Painting & Henna Tattoo Art
10am - 11:30am | Notes Coffee House

🐷 Peak City Pig Fest
11am - 9pm | Town Hall Campus

🛍️ Apex Underground Market
11am - 3pm | Sweetwater Town Center

🐐 Easter Petting Zoo
1pm | Po House Farms

🎵 Sunset Concert
7pm | Sweetwater Town Center

🎤 Rudy’s Karaoke
9pm - 11:45pm | Rudy’s Pub

Sunday, April 12

🌱 Invasive Plant Removal Day
10am - 12pm | Apex Community Park

🪴 Apex Plant/Seed Swap
2pm - 2:30pm | The Peak Church

🎤 NC Pints and Live Music: BeckyAnn Music
2pm - 5pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

Monday, April 13

🎲 Game Night!
7pm - 10pm | Bottle Theory

Wednesday, April 15

Free Wednesday Morning Movie
🌺 Lilo & Stitch 2025
10am | Halle Cultural Arts

🧠 Apex Trivia Night
7pm - 8:30pm | The Dugout Tavern

🔡 Music Bingo
7pm - 8pm | Abbey Road Tavern

🔡 Music Bingo
7:30pm - 9:30pm | Rudy’s Pub

🎻 Concert Series: Shana Tucker
7:30pm | Halle Cultural Arts

Local Business Update:

💿️ Hunky Dory Now Open
Hunky Dory buys and sells records. Now open downtown above the antique store Thursday to Sunday, 12-8pm. @hunkydoryapex

🍲 Hope Cafe Now Open
Hope Cafe took over the Myra Cafe location at 76 Hunter Street and is already open for business. Hope Cafe is a Thai restaurant that first opened in Durham about a year ago. That location is rated 4.9 on Google from 298 Google reviews. Their new location now here in Apex serves Thai dishes like Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, Pad Woon Sen and more.

🥃 Aqua Vitae Opening Soon
The liquid luxury bar in Sweetwater is opening soon. Their website countdown timer suggests they will be open next Wednesday. They will be open daily 5pm until midnight.

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series (Part 2)

🍓 DJ’s Berry Patch

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s amazing content contributor, Susan McGrath

Strawberry picking season is almost here! This week, we’re featuring DJ’s Berry Patch, a family-owned and operated farm located at 1223 Salem Church Road in Apex.

Strawberry season at DJ’s Berry Patch typically runs from mid- to late April through late May or early June, depending on the weather. You can pick your own berries or grab a bucket of pre-picked strawberries from their roadside stand. They grow two delicious varieties—Sweet Charlie and Camarosa.

For details on picking, click here, and be sure to check their Facebook (DJ’s Berry Patch) and Instagram (@djsberrypatch) accounts for the latest updates before you go. You can also give them a call at 919-600-4020.

But DJ’s offers much more than just strawberries. Open from April through October, they grow a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, sweet corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, lettuce, radishes, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, and hot peppers - plus free-range eggs.

To see what’s in season, take a look at their crop calendar here.

In the fall, DJ’s is also a great spot to pick up pumpkins, mums, hay bales, cornstalks, gourds, sweet potatoes, NC apples, and even Christmas wreaths and garlands.

They also offer produce boxes - perfect if you’d like a curated selection of fresh fruits and vegetables ready for pickup. To learn more about ordering produce boxes, click here.

DJ’s Berry Patch
1223 Salem Church Road
Apex, NC 27523

919-600-4020
www.djsberrypatch.com

Hours:
Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Civic News:

🗑️ An Appeal by Greenway
On April 21, the Apex Board of Adjustment will hold a quasi-judicial public hearing on an appeal filed by Greenway Waste Solutions of Apex, the owner of a roughly 112-acre former landfill site at 5940 Old Smithfield Road. The company, represented by Raleigh-based Morningstar Law Group, is challenging a determination by Planning Director Dianne Khin regarding the use of the property as a fats, oils, and grease (FOG) dewatering facility. The property is zoned Light Industrial–Conditional Zoning. The hearing begins at 6 p.m. in the Apex Town Hall Council Chamber. Property owners within 500 feet of the site have been notified by mail.

🔄 Land Swap
The Town of Apex has announced its intent to conduct a minor land exchange with AR Custom Homes, LLC involving two small parcels in Buckhorn Township. The swap includes a 1,478-square-foot Town-owned tract valued at approximately $3,253 and a 1,469-square-foot tract owned by the developer valued at roughly $2,562. To account for the difference in property values, AR Custom Homes will pay the Town an additional $691 to complete the transaction. The Town Council is scheduled to officially authorize the exchange during their regular meeting this Tuesday.

🚒 Potential Fire Station Site
A rezoning petition filed by an Apex builder could bring a new fire station to the corner of Olive Chapel Road and Transit Trail. The application, which will be in front of Council on April 28, seeks to rezone 4.58 acres at 3100 Olive Chapel Road and 1911 Transit Trail from R-80W to a split classification: Rural Residential–Conditional Zoning for the existing home, and Office & Institutional–Conditional Zoning for the remainder. The proposal also requires an amendment to the 2045 Land Use Map, changing the designation from Rural Residential to Rural Transition Residential and Office Employment & Commercial Services.

According to the application, the Town of Apex has shown interest in the parcel as a potential site for a fire station, citing its location at the intersection of a thoroughfare and a major collector road and its proximity to infrastructure serving a fast-growing area. If the fire station does not move forward, the O&I portion would allow uses such as daycare, veterinary services, medical offices, and small-scale retail - all subject to operating hour restrictions and traffic conditions designed to limit impact on surrounding neighborhoods. Neighbors who attended two neighborhood meetings largely supported the fire station concept but raised concerns about increased traffic on Transit Trail, which is already absorbing new volume from the Weston Farm development.

🏘️ New Hill Meadows
KB Home Raleigh-Durham has filed a master subdivision plan for New Hill Meadows, a 110-lot single-family development on roughly 55 acres at Old US 1 Highway and Lashlee Way in New Hill. The project assembles nine parcels from a mix of owners including KB Home, Henderson-based New Hill Plaza LLC, several local family trusts, and a small strip from New Hill Baptist Church. The property was rezoned to PUD-CZ last May. Homes will range from about 1,455 to 3,174 square feet, with first occupancy projected for summer 2027.

The filing flags a potential infrastructure bottleneck: the Jordan Pointe Pump Station is nearing sewer capacity, and KB Home may be required to upgrade it before connecting. A 17-acre commercial component on the southeast portion of the site will come through a separate future filing. The plan has been through three rounds of TRC review and remains under staff consideration.

🏘️ Kelly Commons PUD Project
The Kelly Commons PUD project is moving forward at the southwest corner of Kelly and Holland roads, proposing a 90-unit residential community split by a central stream. To handle increased traffic, the developer is planning significant road improvements, most notably a new roundabout at the Kelly/Holland intersection and road widening along all three property frontages. The project design aims to minimize environmental impacts by utilizing a pedestrian-only crossing, rather than a vehicular bridge, to link the townhome and single-family districts.

Beyond infrastructure, the developer has committed that at least 10% of the units in the mixed residential district will be designated as affordable housing. This commitment follows neighborhood meetings where adjacent residents in the Westwinds subdivision raised concerns about failing wells, leading to ongoing discussions regarding the extension of town water lines. As of April 2, 2026, the project is in its sixth submittal phase as it works through final town staff comments.

🏢 Towns at Parkside
The Townes at Parkside project is seeking a major amendment to its plan for 29 townhomes off Olive Chapel Road. The most controversial change is the proposed removal of the bridge that would have extended Hammocks Beach Trail across Beaver Creek to connect with Bella Casa. Charm City Developers cited environmental risks and an unexpectedly long span as reasons for dropping the bridge. In its place, the developer is offering the Town nearly $1.8 million in fees-in-lieu for future connectivity.

The project, which is currently in its sixth submittal phase as of April 2, 2026, also includes a notable commitment to provide 10 affordable housing units for the next 30 years. Despite the housing commitment, neighboring residents in Holland’s Crossing have expressed concern over construction traffic and the placement of three-story townhomes adjacent to existing single-story residences.

Estates at Olive Chapel
Baker Residential is moving forward with a new 55-lot single-family subdivision on a 41-acre site at 3228 Olive Chapel Road. The project, which also carries the alternative name "Eleve at Olive Chapel," targets a price point between $500,000 and $1 million. A defining feature of the design is its heavy focus on natural preservation, with 40% of the site (over 14 acres) dedicated to resource conservation.

Notably, the developer plans to relocate an existing historic structure on the property to a new spot on the south side of Olive Chapel Road. Planned infrastructure updates include a new turn lane at the neighborhood entrance and a 10-foot-wide sidepath to enhance pedestrian access along Olive Chapel Road. Site construction is slated to begin in January 2027, with the full neighborhood projected to be complete by late 2030.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

⚠️ Some important things to watch for in the meetings listed below:

• The April 14 Town Council meeting will include a legislative hearing to consider the adoption of a 12-month moratorium on data centers.
  
  

• The purpose of April 15’s meeting is to review information previously presented to the Planning Board and Town Council regarding data centers; to consider the adoption of a regular meeting schedule with proposed topics; to discuss the creation of a data center subscription list to support ongoing community engagement; and to address other matters related to data center development research and associated Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) amendments.

Tuesday, April 9
Special Ad-Hoc Town Council Finance Committee Meeting
3:30pm - 5pm | Town Hall

Monday, April 13
Planning Board Meeting
4:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, April 14
Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, April 15
Environmental Advisory Board Subcommittee Meeting
5pm - 7pm | Town Hall

Thursday, April 16
Town Manager's Recommended Budget Presentation
3pm - 5pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

Friday, April 17
Downtown Apex Boutique Crawl | Downtown Apex

Saturday-Sunday, April 18/19
2026 Senior Showcase | Senior Center

Saturday, April 18
Open House & Native Plant Sale | Simple Gifts Community Garden

Thursday, April 23
Learning Lunch: National Poetry Month | Senior Center

Thursday, April 23
CommUniversity: Spring into Sustainability | Senior Center

Saturday, April 25
Disc Golf Tournament | Apex Nature Park

Saturday, April 25
EarthFest | Town Hall Campus

Saturday, April 25
Backyard Snakes | Apex Community Park

Sunday, April 26
Love Local Showcase | Downtown Apex

Friday, May 1
Apex United Methodist Church Annual Barbecue | Apex UMC

Saturday, May 2
Peakfest | Town Hall Campus + Hunter Street

In Case You Missed it

♻️ Recycle Bin Upgrades
Recycling bins are being upgraded from 65-gallon to 95-gallon. You’ll receive notice when your neighborhood is on the schedule. It will happen on the same day as your trash collection.

📚️ Help Shape the Future of Local Libraries
Wake County Public Libraries is developing a new five-year organizational roadmap to guide priorities, services and investments. Weigh in on the future of local libraries (like the Eva Perry Library here in Apex) through their online engagement tool.

👨🏻‍💻 New Information on the July 2024 Cyberattack
The Town of Apex announced this week that approximately 22,000 residents may have had personal data compromised in the July 2024 ransomware attack - and that the stolen data has been recovered with FBI assistance. Town Manager Randy Vosburg framed the recovery as a legal victory, noting the town secured a Temporary Restraining Order from Wake County Superior Court compelling cloud provider Bublup, Inc. to return the data.

That's the press release version. The Town's own incident disclosure page and the underlying court filing paint a far more alarming picture.

According to the Town's formal Notice of Data Incident, unauthorized actors had access to Apex's systems for ten days - from June 23 through July 2, 2024. The categories of data potentially stolen go well beyond what the WRAL coverage conveyed. The Town's disclosure lists: names, Social Security numbers, driver's license and passport numbers, financial account information, credit and debit card numbers, email addresses, usernames and passwords, dates of birth, health insurance information, medical conditions and treatment information, medical record numbers, patient account numbers, and phone numbers.

The underlying case, 24CV032253-910, filed October 9, 2024 - is publicly viewable on eCourts, and shared the Town's complaint and affidavit. The scope of what was stolen is pretty staggering.

We’ve heard a lot about the Utility department, but according to the Town's own filing, the compromised data spanned every single major department: Water/Sewer/Electric Utilities, Police, Fire and Rescue, Public Works, Planning and Inspections, Human Resources, and Finance.

The filing also states that all town services - emergency and non-emergency - were "degraded as a result of the loss of Data."

That degradation has been anything but theoretical. In the 21 months since the attack, Apex residents have dealt with missing utility bills, unexplained billing spikes, lost solar credits, and a town that suspended late fees for 19 months while overdue balances ballooned to $5.9 million. The town is now reinstating late fees and disconnections as of July 1.

The Town says there is no evidence the data reached the dark web. But does “no evidence” necessarily mean it didn’t happen?

Either way, it took nearly two years to start notifying the 22,000 people whose most sensitive information - medical records, Social Security numbers, financial accounts, passwords - was in the hands of criminal actors.

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... 😘