If you live in Apex, you already know the shape of the story. North Salem Street has been one-way southbound since January, the pavers are half-installed, and the finish line that used to read "October" now reads "somewhere between early November and early January." The interesting question isn't when the streetscape ends. It's where the neighborhood has quietly relocated itself while we wait.
Because it has relocated. PeakFest moved to Hunter Street this May. Foxtail Coffee opened a second Apex store out at Sweetwater Town Center instead of downtown. The two most talked-about new food spots this spring, Popovers Cafe and Hope Cafe, both opened directly into the construction zone anyway. If you spent June assuming downtown was closed and defaulting to Beaver Creek, you missed a lot.
Here is what's actually happening between Chatham and Saunders this summer, and where else in Apex to point your evening when the sidewalk cones win.
The streetscape, in plain numbers
The Salem Streetscape is a $4.7 million project rebuilding the block between Saunders Street and West Chatham Street with a curbless design, new pavers, American Elm street trees, and 19-foot light poles. It began in January. Then it stopped. Work was held up for weeks because of design tweaks prompted by electrical issues, and the original October wrap date slid. As of a mid-June update from the town, construction is now expected to wrap up between early November and early January.
Two facts to keep in your pocket:
- Sidewalks are open on both sides of the street throughout the project. Every downtown business you like is still reachable on foot.
- The lane restriction is southbound-only, and through traffic should use the NC 55 to Hunter Street detour to navigate around Downtown.
The cost of ignoring those two facts is measurable. Anna's Pizzeria manager Steven Perticona told WRAL in April that the restaurant was tracking down anywhere from 10 to 20%. In June, the used bookstore Alleyway Bookstore announced its closure June 6, citing rising costs and changes to foot traffic during the construction project outside its building. Mayor Jacques Gilbert has since named Bella + Mauve Boutique as another downtown business feeling the squeeze and asked residents publicly to spend locally.
That is the neighborhood story this summer in one sentence. The businesses that make Salem Street worth caring about are still open, and they are counting foot traffic per week.
Where to park so you actually walk in
The town has quietly reshaped parking to match the new pedestrian flow, and most residents haven't updated their mental map.
New parking spaces recently added in the downtown Saunders Lot and Moore Street lot provide attendee increased places to park, and paved Strollway access from downtown to Apex Town Hall Campus, located at 73 Hunter Street.
The Strollway access is located behind Duncan Commons, down North Salem St. If you park at Saunders or walk down from Moore, you enter the block from behind the construction rather than through it. There is also an Apex Parking App for real-time availability, and if you don't drive, GoApex Route 1 will serve the downtown area on a significant detour in the southbound direction only, with stops at the Halle Cultural Arts Center and near Advance Community Health on Moore Street.
What actually opened while we weren't looking
Here is the part most residents get wrong. The construction hasn't slowed new openings on and around Salem. It has concentrated them.
Popovers Cafe, 219 N. Salem Street. A new cafe called Popovers Cafe had their grand opening this week at 219 N. Salem Street in downtown Apex, serving sweet and savory popover pastries. It sits directly inside the streetscape footprint. Owners Mustafa and Juliette Ozturk opened knowing the sidewalks in front of the door would be under construction for the entire first year.
Hope Cafe, 76 Hunter Street. The Thai restaurant Myra Café closed its doors permanently on March 30 after a three-year run at 76 Hunter Street. Hope Cafe, another Thai food eatery with a location in Durham, took over the location on April 1. Same address, new operator, no gap.
Foxtail Coffee Co., Sweetwater Town Center. Foxtail Coffee Co. has just opened a second Apex location. The new store is situated at 1451 Richardson Road, Suite 126, in the burgeoning Sweetwater Town Center. The first Foxtail is near downtown. This is the tell that new coffee capacity is being added outside the Salem corridor.
Kaara Indian Restaurant, 2700 Stokesdale Avenue Suite 120. Now open. Modern Indian fine dining with two dining halls, a private room, patio, and a full bar. North and South Indian staples plus ~15 chef signatures from a veteran kitchen team.
Lime & Lemon Restaurant & Lounge, 2025 Creekside Landing Drive. Premium Indian restaurant plus a separate late-night lounge with its own entrance. 7,000+ sq. ft., 35-foot bar, DJ lighting, and 200+ capacity. This one is worth flagging because there is nothing else like it in Apex.
Add these to the downtown fixtures that residents keep circling back to. The Provincial at 119 N. Salem Street. Scratch Kitchen & Taproom on Sunset Lake Road, which recent visitors describe as a tucked-away neighborhood find with a strong craft beer list. And out on Windy Road, Southern Peak Brewery just hit a milestone that says something about Apex staying power: Southern Peak Brewery celebrates its tenth anniversary with beer releases, vendors, food, and live music throughout the day.
If you keep a running list of "where to take out-of-town guests," this is the update: the answer for a Wednesday drink is still downtown. The answer for a Saturday dinner has quietly moved to Kaara or Lime & Lemon.
The summer calendar, without the fluff
July is National Park and Recreation Month here in Apex. In July 2026, Park and Recreation Month highlights "The Power Of" parks and recreation and the people who make it all possible. The town has packed programming around it. Two events worth putting on the calendar this week:
- Pickleball Social at Apex Nature Park. A Pickleball Social that's all about fun, movement, and community connection. For one day only, Apex Nature Park will turn into full-on pickleball mania as the tennis courts transform into pickleball courts for free play and social fun. Bring your own paddle if you have one.
- Splash Bash at Pleasant Park, 3400 Pleasant Plains Road. Celebrate the end of PRCR Month with Splash Bash—an evening full of play, community, and summertime fun at Pleasant Park. Everyone is invited to enjoy extended splash‑pad hours, outdoor games, and a relaxed nighttime atmosphere after a warm July day.
Then there is the series that runs all summer and is the single easiest thing to build a Saturday evening around. Rhythm & Reels at the Apex Nature Park Amphitheatre, 2600 Evans Road, is held on select Saturday evenings for a night of music and movies under the stars. Load up the family, lawn chairs, blankets, a picnic dinner and show up early for good seats. No pets or alcohol. The Halle Cultural Arts Center at 237 N. Salem Street publishes the schedule.
Looking a little further out, the fall lineup around downtown is already set. Peak City Fitness Festival lands on the first Saturday in September. Festa Italiana is the third Saturday of September. The Apex Latino Arts Festival in late September celebrates Apex's Latino community by highlighting the presence of Latino arts and culture. The festival includes dances, music, a food truck rodeo and much more, and is open to everybody. Apex Oktoberfest follows on the second Saturday of October. If the streetscape hits the earlier end of the revised timeline, Oktoberfest may be the first big downtown gathering back on a finished Salem Street. If it hits the later end, it won't be.
Why any of this matters beyond a summer
There is a version of this post you have already read three times on other sites. It lists new restaurants, points at the construction, wishes everyone well. What that version misses is the actual dynamic in downtown Apex right now, which is that a public investment is being tested against the patience of the private businesses that make the block worth investing in.
The east side underground soil cell systems along Salem Street are the kind of detail you only care about if you plan to be here in ten years. American Elms with room to root are a bet on shade in 2036. Curbless pavers and 19-foot light poles are a bet on a downtown that people walk through on purpose rather than drive around. That bet gets paid, or doesn't, based on whether the businesses currently absorbing a 10 to 20 percent hit are still standing when the barricades come down.
Alleyway Bookstore didn't make it. The rest of the block is a week-to-week question. The most local thing you can do this July is not a festival. It's a Tuesday lunch at Anna's, a Thursday coffee at Popovers, a Saturday browse at Bella + Mauve, and a walk in from the Saunders lot instead of a shrug from the car.
That is the neighborhood update. Salem Street will look different at Christmas. What you do between now and then is what determines who is still there to enjoy it.
If you're thinking about a move within Apex, upsizing to be closer to downtown, or wondering how the streetscape investment might shape home values on the streets that feed into it, the team at Hendren Realty Group has been watching this block for a long time. Reach out for a free home consultation and valuation whenever you're ready to talk.
