Apex eyes multi-million dollar revitalization of its downtown area
Visitors to Apex in coming years will see a more walkable, tree-lined downtown with convenient parking and colorful artwork and exteriors, under a new plan to revitalize the town’s commercial center.
The Downtown Master Plan calls for new businesses, more apartments and a boutique hotel to attract more visitors and investment to the growing town of 60,000 people in southwest Wake County.
The Apex Town Council and municipal staff want to make better use of empty spaces like alleyways and parking lots and remove cars from central Salem Street to allow more outdoor dining and walking.
After years of public input, the plan was prepared in partnership with Stantec, a global urban design consulting firm, whose designs and planning will help change downtown Apex by 2023, the town said.
The plan has 10 main goals, which include beautifying Salem Street, adding 200 parking spaces within five- and 10-minute walks from downtown, re-purposing parking areas, building 100 housing units near downtown and turning the fire station into a mixed-use civic center.
Other ideas include expanding sidewalks by potentially removing on-street parking on Salem Street and adding artwork, seating and decorations to alleyways, according to the 97-page master plan.
“Downtown Apex is the heart of our growing community. Its success comes with increased demand for outdoor dining, retail, and walkable, engaging space for our citizens and visitors alike to enjoy and interact,” said Russell Dalton, the town’s senior transportation engineer, in a news release. “We are celebrating and enhancing the value Downtown Apex holds for us by carrying forward projects that will meet our community’s needs for years to come.”
The pandemic should not interrupt the the project’s schedule, he said.
The changes will be funded by the town’s annual budget, according to its municipal government. Dalton said the redesign of the Salem streetscape will cost $2.5 million; $1.2 million will be spent on parking lot expansions and $500,000 will be spent on redeveloping alleys, pending approval by the town council in June.
“Our team’s goal is to embrace the authenticity of Downtown Apex by adding vibrant people places that support the needs of residents, local businesses, and visitors while also honoring this community’s historic roots,” said Amanda Morrell, project manager at Stantec, in a news release. “This will be accomplished under the framework of the Downtown Plan, along with additional input from the community through a robust public engagement process centered around inclusive feedback.”
Part of the project’s design process included installing temporary parklets, or outdoor seating and dining places in on-street parking spaces on Salem Street to show their potential. The feedback was positive enough that the parklets remained throughout the summer, Stantec said in a news release.
Land-use workshop
In other news, the town will hold a virtual public workshop at 6 p.m. Jan. 19 on proposed amendments to Apex’s Future Land Use Map, which include increasing housing on public transportation routes and promoting development that meshes with transit.
Workshop materials are available outside Town Hall (73 Hunter St.) and at www.apexnc.org/2045LUM.
Join the workshop at publicinput.com/P725.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 3:09 PM.
