The Theatre, Great Trails, & A Prismatic Cyclone

👋 Good morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, October 16, 2025 and this is the 41st weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

Two quick updates here in the intro about a couple of hot topics, and then all the fun stuff down below.

🌐 Data Center Rezoning Case Begins Today
The New Hill Digital Campus rezoning case (aka The Data Center) will come before the Environmental Advisory Board tonight at 6pm in Town Hall.

There is heavy community pressure to shut down the zoning application, but Town officials need legal grounds to deny the project, which is why the main local debate is now focused on whether this facility fits the requested "light industrial" zoning. Apex currently lacks a legal definition for a data center of this size, leading many residents to argue against the unclear guidelines that no - this massive data center does not fit the proposed light industrial zoning.

Secondarily, there is also heavy pressure on the developer to relay the statement that your project is not welcome here at this time. Heavy community pressure has successfully stopped data center development in other towns across the country. You can help by attending the meeting tonight (wear red 🛑), as well as future meetings, to push back and show strength in numbers. It will go to the Planning Board next and assuming it passes there, the final step will then be Town Council.

The goal is to either deter the developer, who will ultimately sell to a mega-corporation like Amazon or Microsoft, or convince officials to deny the zoning request for legitimate legal concerns.

Ultimately, we’ll probably end up with a data center in Apex, whether it’s this one or the next one that comes knocking. The hope is that we can at least buy some time to put the proper regulations and guardrails in place first to protect the health, safety and wallets of our community members. The importance of this is amplified by the recent passing of NC Senate Bill 266, which essentially gives large tax breaks to the data centers and ensures that any upgrades to the power grid are paid for by the residents, not by these mega corporations.

🏛️ Town Council Candidate Interviews
I am still working through these. A comprehensive overview will be shared with you in next Thursday’s email (October 23). This will include all of the reader-submitted questions from last week, as well as some additional questions.

This will be 2 days before early voting begins, so it’ll be nice and fresh in your mind at the polling station. 19% of the folks who completed last week’s survey said that they did not vote for any council members in the last election. All of those 19% said that they do plan on voting in this election.

Of all respondents, 40% plan to vote on election day, while the other 60% plan to participate in early voting. 16% provided a negative rating of the current Town Council over the past 2 years, 42% gave a positive rating, and another 42% provided a neutral response.

With that said, 72% stated they would like to shake things up or completely overhaul the current council, while 16% were in favor of no changes.

Miscellaneous:

✂️ Fall 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. Bring your documents to the Public Works Parking Lot from 8-11am this Saturday, October 18. Details here →

🏘️👻 Tour of Frights
The spookiest spots in Apex are ready to welcome you! The Tour of Frights is an annual program that features Apex homes and business with some of the very best Halloween or fall-themed decorations. There are 2 routes you can follow from 6-9pm every night through Oct 31. View the map →

⛄️ Snowman Stroll on Salem
This event will kick off on Friday, December 5th, alongside the Annual Apex Tree Lighting Ceremony, and will run through Sunday, December 14th. Businesses can register as a Snowman Stop now until November 1.

📍 Apex Tourism
The Economic Development department is ramping up tourism efforts, which was a priority set through this year's budget process. Apex will be featured in the state magazine, Our State, in the Tarheel Towns section and in the magazine's reels in May and June of 2026 as part of the town's first statewide tourism marketing effort.

🦁 Apex Lions Club Appreciation Week
The week of October 20-24 has been dedicated to recognizing their 88 years of service by proclamation in Tuesday’s Town Council Meeting. Other proclamations for Apex in October included: Cyber Security Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

✈️ RDU Public Workshop #3
The Airport Authority and Pacific Elm Properties are working together to gather community input and ideas to shape the future of the RDU recreation and wellness destination. This takes place on October 21 from 4-7pm. Details here →

🎭 Lets Go to the Theatre
The Apex High School Performing Arts’ Fall Play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is now playing and tickets are still available. Today through Saturday at 7pm. Get tickets here →

And the Middle Creek High School Theater’s Fall Play, Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood, will show at 6:30pm on the evenings of Thurs Oct 23 - Saturday, October 25. Get tickets here →

🥾 Great Trails State Day
This Saturday, October 18, is Great Trails State Day. It’s the perfect opportunity to check out the two newest greenway corridors, Middle Creek & Beaver Creek, both of which open on Saturday. Great Trails NC has created a fun activity booklet to help kickstart your adventure which you can download here.
 
🚗💥🚙 Civilian Crash Investigators
You may notice some new gray uniforms and black vehicles with green decals around town. They’re part of the Apex Police Department’s new Civilian Crash Investigator program. These trained professionals handle non-injury crashes, parking issues, and traffic incidents, freeing up sworn officers to focus on emergencies and high-priority calls. Learn more here →

🎃🗑️ Pumpkin Disposal
When it’s time to get rid of your pumpkins, Apex yard waste customers can (1) drop them off at the Public Works Department from Nov 3 - Dec 15, (2) place them on the curb during the weeks of Nov 3 and Dec 1, or (3) place them in your trash cart.

Things to Do This Week in Apex:

Friday, October 17

🍭 Trunk-or-Treat
4pm - 6pm | The Learning Experience

🌕️ Friday Night Lights
5pm - 8pm | Neighbor Boy Farm

🍿 PJs & Popcorn Movie Night
6pm - 8pm | Senior Center

🫟 Adult Night Out
Starting 6pm | Mad Splatter

🕺 Apex Community Dance
7pm - 9pm | The Halle

🪗 Oktoberfest Celebration
w/ The Oak City Polka Kings
Starting 8pm | The Backyard Bar

Saturday, October 18

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

🧑‍🚒 Fittest 2 Serve
9am - 2pm | Fire Station 1

🎃 Pumpkin Painting Party
10am - 12pm | The Mocha Room

🍻 Peaktoberfest
12pm - 8pm | Southern Peak Taproom & Pizzeria (in Sweetwater!!)

💽 Record Shop Pop-Up
12:30pm - 4pm | Peakway Taps

🍎 Candy Apple & Wine Pairing
2pm - 7pm | Peak of the Vine

🎤 Julia Golden Live
6pm - 8pm | Southern Peak Brewery

Sunday, October 19

🎷 JazzLive with Lenore Raphael & Friends
3pm | The Halle

Wednesday, October 22

🪕 On the Steps Concert Series
7:30pm | The Halle

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

Local Business Updates

🍋‍🟩🍋 Lime & Lemon Opens Soon
The Indian Grill & Bar, Lime & Lemon, opens its doors next Wednesday, October 22. They are located at 2025 Creekside Landing Drive. Be one of the first to try it and make a reservation here.

🎂 North Left Turns One
North Left: A Modern Mercantile located downtown at 117 N Salem is celebrating their one-year anniversary with some special deals all week long.

🍔 Al’s Burger Shack - Opening Soon
Grand Opening has been moved to Wednesday, October 22. Located at 2832 Teachey Place on the Harris Teeter side of Sweetwater.

🍺🍕 Southern Peak Brewery Taproom & Pizzeria
The second Southern Peak location will be hosting its Peaktoberfest event this Saturday (details in the section above). Their goal was to celebrate their grand opening along with this event, but I am hearing that it will more likely be the first week of November.

🥐 La Farm Bakery??
Will they, won’t they? La Farm Bakery & Cafe was set all set to open a new spot in Apex at the old SunTrust bank building at 202 S Salem. But then that fell through for some reason or another. Recently, some rumblings have been going on about how a deal might be back on (unsure if at the same location).

Anyway, I was snooping around and found some recent renderings. Looks like we may get some good news soon. Maybe….

🫒 Greek Kouzina
Following up our initial announcement a couple weeks back that Greek Kouzina is now open in Sweetwater with a little more info: Greek Kouzina offers an authentic Greek and mediterranean menu—think gyros, fresh hummus, tabouli, and tzatziki, falafels, stuffed grape leaves, Greek salads, and baklava. They also offer Greek burgers, chicken shawarma, pastichio (Greek lasagna), and some American cuisine items like steak and cheese pita and chicken and cheese pita.

They do offer Halal, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Their hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, including most holidays.

🧂 A Conversation with The Spice & Tea Exchange
We spoke with Trey, the owner of Spice & Tea Exchange in downtown Apex and learned a lot of really cool things about the business! We learned about all of the unique custom blends, how they keep it all fresh, the types of honey that help with allergies, how their lemon olive oil is made, when their grand opening celebration will be (as well as other upcoming events), and more!

And now you can know everything we know by reading the interview here →

Civil News:

💭 Peak Plan 2055: What’s Your Dream for Apex?
At the first public engagement opportunities on October 22nd and 23rd, attendees will be asked 'do you see what we see?', by visiting various stations and learning about the Project Team's observations of Apex, its surroundings, and potential opportunities. Details here →

👋 How to be a Welcoming Community
On October 23rd, join speaker Danya Perry for an interactive workshop designed to spark ideas and share practical strategies for fostering connection, building trust, and strengthening belonging across Apex. Details here →

👥💬 Community Town Hall
Join local town elected officials for a Community Town Hall on October 23 from 6-7pm at the Apex Electric Operations Center Training Room. This event creates an opportunity for open, informal dialogue and engagement. Details here →

💰 Budget Priorities Survey
The Town is asking you how you would choose to spend $5 million (pretend) dollars across the five strategic goal areas. Complete the survey now through December 1.

🗿 Prismatic Cyclone
Council approved the purchase of the kinetic sculpture, Prismatic Cyclone by Lawrence Fear, the People’s Choice Award winner for the 25/26 sculpture walk, for $14,000. The plan is to relocate it to Pleasant Park in March.

🛣️ Salem Streetscape Update
The property/easement acquisition is almost complete meaning the bidding phase will begin. Expectation is to award the bid and start construction in January. Adopted design highlights and new concept imagery has been added here.

🏥 Apex Children’s Hospital Funding in Question
The $2 billion hospital project is currently stalled and its funding is in jeopardy due to a major deadlock between the NC House and Senate. The State Legislature has already appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars for the project (around $320 million); however, the House of Representatives is now actively questioning the hospital's necessity and proposing to claw back all previously set-aside state funding. Legislature is scheduled to return October 20th to resume negotiations.

🔌 Utility Update
On Tuesday, Town Council members presented a proclamation for Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Great time to remind you that Apex detected a cybersecurity incident 471 days ago and some systems, like the Police 2 Citizen Portal, have not yet come back online and other systems, like utility billing, still see issues arise daily. For example, one resident spoke during public forum on Tuesday showing that he was being charged late fees and taking hits to his credit score despite having paid his bill, bringing proof of the deposited check. Another resident shared her $102,906.03 utility bill on the Apex Community Forum.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Today, October 16
Finance Committee
9am - 11am | Town Hall

Today, October 16
Environmental Advisory Board
6pm | Town Hall

Monday, October 20
Culture & Arts Advisory
6pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, October 21
Town Council Work Session
3:30pm | Town Hall

Wednesday, October 22
Economic Development Meeting
4pm - 5:30pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead

October 23 - 31 | Park Hours
🌾 Scarecrow Row | Apex Community Park

October 24 | 5pm-9pm
🧙🏻‍♀️ Witches Night Out | Salem Street

October 25 - November 1
🗳️ Early Voting | John M. Brown Community Center

October 25 | 5pm-7pm
🧌 Goblin’s Groove | Halle Cultural Arts

October 29 | 5pm-7pm
👻🐕 Spooky Tails | Apex Nature Park

November 1 | 9am - 3pm
🛍️ Art & Gift Market | Apex UMC

November 2 | 3pm
🎹 Classical Concert Series | The Halle

November 8 | 11am - 1pm
🧺 Eco Picnic Fundraiser | Apex Nature Park

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... 😘