In 2004, Apex residents welcomed a Super Target. It was a new place to buy groceries, a good option for everyday needs and a status symbol for the town. Just three years later developers are thinking bigger -- much bigger.

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.

It will join other projects already under way, including a 170-acre residential and commercial project called the Villages of Apex on the northeast side of town and the bustling and still-expanding Beaver Creek shopping complex.

City planners have their eyes on potential jobs, more residents and a growing tax base.

But the growth is not popular with some, who feel the town is green-lighting a way to lose its unique small-town charm.

Still with the population of Apex exploding and surrounding towns including Morrisville and Holly Springs growing fast, too, it's hard to argue that there's no demand.

"The people that commute to the Research Triangle Park every day who live in Lillington, Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs would love to have a place to work and live and not have to drive to the park," said Bob Atkinson, who is helping broker the Trinity project.

Apex's central location between Raleigh, Cary and Research Triangle Park makes it an easy choice for newcomers.

More people will come with the opening of Interstate 540, though it seems that won't happen for several more years. Yet the population is already growing even without the highway extension.

In 1990, there were 7,257 residents in Apex, but that figure spiked to 26,311 last year. It is predicted to climb to 31,430 by 2011.

Already, the town is seeing its retail clout grow. Recent additions to the area shopping scene include Kohl's and a planned Wal-Mart Supercenter, plus smaller upscale shops such as makeup retailer Ulta.

Planning Director Dianne Khin said city officials have tried to control the growth, making "small-area plans" to guide development of all the major tracts of land. The Trinity property and the Villages of Apex land both had these plans.

"The only area we have left that we have a small-area plan done for is at the area where I-540 will have an interchange with South Salem Street," she said.

Job, rooftops

With the Trinity property, which has space enough for a corporate headquarters, town planners were focused on jobs and rooftops, Kinn said.

"We didn't want to have the same mistake that happened in RTP where people drive in to work and then leave to go home every day," she said.

The Trinity project seems poised to deliver on all of the potential planners saw.

Bordered by U.S. 1, N.C. 55 and the future I-540, the site was approved for rezoning at an Apex board meeting Tuesday night.

Apex councilman Gene Schulze said the project will add to the tax base and give new residents a reason to work and shop in town.

The development of such a big piece of land in one project has advantages, he added. This way, town board members could address some growth concerns, including open spaces, school sites and ample infrastructure.

"Normally, 1,000 acres, we do it piecemeal, but this gives us a chance to know what the overarching plan for this area is," he said.

But others are concerned about the size of the project and the growing strain on the town's roads, schools and resources.

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