Parking spaces converted into outdoor dining in downtown Apex

The work begins Monday to turn parallel parking spaces between Chatham Street and Saunders Street into outdoor seating options.

"Our hope is that this expanded outdoor seating will allow downtown businesses to begin regaining some of the capacity lost during the pandemic," a Facebook post read.

Last week, Gov. Roy Cooper extended Phase 2, which means North Carolina businesses can only use their indoor dining spaces at 50% capacity for the next several weeks.

According to the Town of Apex, "this is a temporary conversion, and any barriers or other structures placed along the street will also be temporary."

No handicapped spaces will be altered, and four of the parallel spaces will remain open for loading and unloading, officials said.