Developers Unveil Plans for Downtown Apex

Developers said their project, named The Villages of Apex, would create "a new downtown Apex."

The town council approved the project in late July, after what council members said was a 15-year-long process of refining the concept plan.

Mayor Keith Weatherly and town manager Bruce Radford met with real-estate planners and developers to learn details of the project Wednesday afternoon. The meeting continued after 5:30 p.m.

The 170-acre, mixed-use development will be located across from the town hall on Hunter Street and stretch north to U.S. 64.

Developers said the entire project could be worth $300 million, according to early estimates.

The Villages of Apex will feature approximately 1,300 homes in a variety of styles, including single-family homes, townhouses, carriage houses and brownstones.

The development will also comprise 80,000 square feet of retail and office space. Business, office and residential space will be mixed, with condominiums occupying the top floors of buildings.

Developers promised to make an effort to stay green by including a 13-acre park, as well as some greenways and paved walking trails.

Planners said they are considering setting aside property to construct a private school in the development.

When the town council approved the project, leaders said that it would not include cookie-cutter homes.

“We can incorporate the new style of planning mixed-use and still maintain the kind of town that all of us came to live there to start with,” Mayor Keith Weatherly said.

 Developers said they plan to break ground on the first phase of the project in the fall.