Apex projects & plans

[ChiefJoJo]

Plans call for Apex's first "skyscraper."

The big-building bug has come to Apex. Local entrepreneur Steve Adams says he wants to tear down a wilting two-story at 123 N. Salem St. to make way for "downtown Apex's first skyscraper."

But at four stories, it will tower over most other buildings in the center of Apex, a western Wake town.

Preliminary plans call for a 13,548-square-foot building with seven underground parking spaces; four ground-floor retail condos ranging from 650 square feet to 950 square feet; and 3,600 square feet of office condos on the second floor.

The top two floors would consist of six two-story, loft-style residential condominiums starting in the low $200,000s.

And because of Apex's high elevation (hence the name) -- and because of the town's lack of tall buildings -- some of the the residences will feature views of Jordan Lake miles in the distance, Adams says.

With the Fuquay topic I just started, and other fledgling urban projects starting to srout up in other small towns, it makes me envision a time (in 30 years?) when we might actually have rail service connecting all of these towns together with Raleigh, RTP, Durham, etc. I know it's hard to imagine, but with a increased demand and constant rise in oil prices , global warming and air quality issues ever present, and proper planning, it could happen eventually.

[raleightransplant]

This is really good to see. I think we're really starting to get to the time where the environment is a "mainstream" cause. It's not about special interests, but simple facts--I believe we're finally getting to a time where people are beginning to accept this. This is great for the town of Apex, and we should all be shooting for sustainability in all of our development and transportation decisions.

[carynative]

As a person who is in dt Apex frequently, I believe this project will not only be a great economic and planning boost to the town but also will add to the wonderful downtown environment already there. Apex's downtown "strip" along Salem Street has to be a prime example of how an older historic downtown can be successfully revitalized. Great project!!!

[sax184]

As a person who is in dt Apex frequently, I believe this project will not only be a great economic and planning boost to the town but also will add to the wonderful downtown environment already there. Apex's downtown "strip" along Salem Street has to be a prime example of how an older historic downtown can be successfully revitalized. Great project!!!

[rooster8]

Good to see the reaction has been positive. I'm so used to the "Hendersonville types" that see this kind of project as the ruination of their small town living.

[ChiefJoJo]

Another Apex project is approved, called Trackside, near downtown. Let's hope it's actually mixed-use and somewhat walkable.

[urbanvb]

Sounds huge. Is there a rendering available?

[Jones_]

Another Apex project is approved, called Trackside, near downtown. Let's hope it's actually mixed-use and somewhat walkable.

[orulz]

I think the author of this article has his/her facts a bit confused.

Last I checked, there are two, separate developments in the works called Trackside in Apex. The one this article is talking about, is Trackside North, proposed by "Apex First Development". The other is Trackside South, proposed by "East/West Partners" - some heavy hitters on the local scene, responsible for Meadowmont, Davis Park, University Village/East 54

Here is the site plan for Trackside North. This covers everything north of Apex Peakway to US 64. It is 100% residential and while it has a gridded layout, it has two points of entry - a right-in/right-out from 64, and an intersection with the Peakway. There would have been a huge opportunity for some sort of neighborhood retail along Apex Peakway, but the plan is 100% residential, so they seem to have incorporated some prominent "features" such as a stormwater retention pond and the sides of some homes along the street instead.

Trackside South is a mixed use development, somewhere along the lines of Meadowmont. The site plan used to be here but it was approved some time ago and has been taken down. If you wanted it you could probably e-mail somebody at Apex's town hall.

[ChiefJoJo]

FYI, "Trackside" in Apex is moving forward. It actually looks like a decent development... lots of builders, mixed use, gridded streets. I think it's a step in the right direction for Apex.

[orulz]

I think the only part that's moving forward so far is "trackside north" - north of future Apex Peakway. This will be 100% residential. Between Apex Peakway and Old Raleigh Rd will be the mixed use Trackside South. Trackside South got approved some time ago but I don't think any dirt is set to move just yet.

[ChiefJoJo]

Another big project for Apex...

The most recent example is a 1,000-acre project that will turn the empty area between downtown Apex and Holly Springs into a huge residential and commercial district over the next 10 years.

Called Trinity, the billion-dollar project could house as many as 4,000 homes, 500,000 square feet of office space and 2.2 million square feet of commercial space, including shops and a hotel.

[ncwebguy]

This will all be Brier Creek-like "mixed use" -- shopping near the major roads, apartments/townhouses/office as a buffer, single family detached homes beyond that. It is sad that Apex isn't demanding better land use. Just because one developer has 1,000 acres doesn't mean they should approve rezoning to allow them to spread things out as much as possible. Maybe their site plans will be nicer, but the zoning might not allow it. And with the broker hoping the area will be the next Crabtree valley, mass transit, walkability, and density are not going to be considered.

And there is nothing set aside for parks, police/fire station, or schools. I'm sure they'll be suing Wake County schools to provide more of those, on a traditional calendar.

But what can be expected with town council members like this:

"I am a believer in slower growth, and the concern that I have is that with all of the stuff that has been passed that we are going to be growing too fast," said councilman Bill Jensen.

Jensen was one of four board members who voted for the rezoning but said Wednesday it was the "biggest mistake I've made since I've been on the town board."

[Cary NC]

I would disagree that density is not being consider. In the article it mentions 20 story office buildings. Brier Creek has nothing above 3 stories. I think this will be a very different project than Brier Creek or Crabtree. I believe it will be more like North Hills.

[DPK]

And there is nothing set aside for parks, police/fire station, or schools. I'm sure they'll be suing Wake County schools to provide more of those, on a traditional calendar.

[ncwebguy]

I read the article a few times before posting. I missed the 20 story building height, but they seemed like the sky was falling when they considered a *four* story building for downtown a few months ago.

They are building the area "slowly" (approx. 100 acers/year every year for ten years) to accomodate growth. The developers have not offered any land for open space, schools, etc. In the pulled quote, it says "<B>town board members</B> *could* address some growth concerns." As of now, the developer isn't on the hook for anything. Heck, the town board members "could" address growth, or they could keep their "approve everything that comes their way and leave planning for someone else" policy.

[ChiefJoJo]

Gotta agree with webguy on this... take a long look at that map and all the uses are vastly segregated from one another... density in this setting is not what you might find in a true mixed-use center, or neo-traditional center like Southern Village or Meadowmont. North Hills isn't a good analogy based on scale... Apex is looking at over 1,000 acres for Trinity--N Hills is on about 50 or so? North Hills isn't ideal urbanism IMO, but at least with it's reasonably human-scale arrangement, you can actually walk from one end to the other. Let's hope Apex gets better than Brier Creek, but it doesn't look good at first glance.

The first thing I notice is how they are planning for growth with the planned 540 extension... but what if that never happens? To me, a lightbulb goes off in my head and I think, "if we had a viable (funded) transit plan, maybe we could serve Apex and reign in some of this growth in a more compact, sustainable urban form." There is a rail corridor that could potentially be served by transit in the future if we could just get our act together...

[sax184]

Agreed with webguy and ChiefJoJo. This development is just more of the same suburban crap gutting the quality of life in Wake County. Oh well. We learn slow here.

[Jones_]

Agreed with webguy and ChiefJoJo. This development is just more of the same suburban crap gutting the quality of life in Wake County. Oh well. We learn slow here.

[ncwebguy]

We drove down US 1 on Sunday for a day trip to Southern Pines/Aberdeen/Pinehurst (we knew a lot would be closed on Sunday, but was hoping for more than a handful of ice cream stores) and there isn't much south of the US 1/55 intersection.

The proximity to Sharon Harris may be an effect down there, which could contain sprawl, unlike the US 70 corridor between Garner to Clayton. I would hope they could "do it right" like North Hills, as opposed to Beaver Creek. Brier Creek's "office" piece of "mixed use" is in the 5-7 story ballpark, but it is in its own little world close to 540, a sea of parking (and elevation change) away from the big box retail section and another sea of parking away from the residential area.

From the N&O's graphic above, I fear Trinity will be another Brier Creek if the town of Apex doesn't demand better. Like Beaver Creek, there is no connection to the heart of Apex other than NC 55. To say nothing of the rail corridor, which the N&O's map didn't display yet did display where future roads could be built. The residential area is away from the town and rail, and on either side of 540. Who wants a potential highway running near/through their neighborhood? I'm guessing future residents won't mind, as long as it like the other cul-de-sacs fueling Apex's growth outside the grid near the town center.

[sax184]

I love your artistic way of putting things ...I actually still use the "auto sewer" description you used once, though you get proper credit for it of course.....now I would like premission to use "gutting" in reference to quality of life if thats ok....makes coffee talk better with some good descriptives to throw around....

[ChiefJoJo]

The N&O has an interesting story on Apex, with much of it focused on downtown. I like the look of that coffee shop, Common Grounds.