Welcome to The Line, a newsletter for Cary and Western Wake from The Assembly Network. The Line connects the dots for local life with timely info, relevant news, interesting people and expert guides. 

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🚉 Arriving Now

1. Affordable housing in 2026
2. On the civic agendas
3. Holly Springs bio tech news
4. Did you guess this coffee shop?

–Sarah Day

Coming to Western Wake in 2026: Affordable Housing Gets Collaborative and Creative

Affordable housing is a complex issue, and one that Western Wake will have to address in the years to come. 

Projections by Wake County show construction is not keeping pace with growth—projections for 10 years down the road show a need for 18,000-23,000 new homes annually, and at varying price points. That’s above the average annual 12,700 new homes in the county approved for construction.

But there has been progress, and with specific local projects and countywide efforts, decisions can be made in the coming year to influence the future. Here are just three things in the works. 

🏘️ The Carr Center in Cary: Plans for this mixed-use development demonstrate how multiple community issues are being addressed with housing as a foundation. The partnership is between Greenwood Baptist Church (where the site is located), nonprofit The Carying Place, nonprofit housing developer DHIC, Greenwood Forest Children’s Center, and the YMCA. 

Since INDY reported on the rezoning for the project last April, design plans for the 62 housing units at The Carr Center are moving forward in 2026. 

The Carying Place, which supports working families with children, is preparing to increase its transitional housing by 11 units with The Carr Center to a total of 26 units, said Executive Director Leslie Covington. 

The Carying Place serves “the people who serve us every day,” Covington said. “Our teachers, the people we see in the grocery store.” 

The Carying Place began fundraising for the project, which will break ground in the second quarter of 2027, though the nonprofit is in a phase of gaining support from people “who really want to leave a legacy” with working families transitioning out of homelessness, Covington said. A larger campaign for more contributors will be shared at a later time. 

🏘️ Community Land Trusts in Apex: In November, the Wake County Board of Commissioners approved a $234,000 loan to the Raleigh Area Land Trust for acquisition and permanent financing to support an affordable homeownership project in Apex, Jane Porter of INDY reports. 

Porter also reported on the Town of Apex creating a Community Land Trust in September, a solution that works for both keeping housing affordable and supporting homeowners:

“Under the CLT model, town-owned land can be held in the trust in perpetuity and affordable housing built on it and sold to residents at affordable rates with a guaranteed 99-year lease on the land. When an owner is ready to sell, they can work with the CLT to set a new sale price for the home, having gained some equity based on the appreciated value of the home.”

🏘️ Wake County affordable housing efforts are ramping up in 2026: The Housing Opportunity Fund is one solution from the county launching this year. 

The goal of the fund is to support new affordable housing in key areas. Acquiring land can be a barrier for affordable housing developers, so the fund “will provide site acquisition and gap financing loans to support affordable housing development in neighborhoods close to jobs, grocery stores, health care, education and transit,” according to the announcement. 

Look for more features on what’s coming to Western Wake in 2026 in our Thursday newsletters this month.

Previously: Salem Street’s transformation, upscale Indian restaurants expand. 

🗓️ The Line launch party is another way we’re kicking off 2026! The Line is moving from  soft-launch mode to its full presence in the community. 

On the Agendas

A review of notable meeting agendas this week.

The Cary Town Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 this evening. On the agenda: council members will vote on whether to approve up to $150,000 for the Womble Bond Dickinson law firm’s investigation into former town manager Sean Stegall’s spending, as well as $100,000 budgeted for an employee engagement plan. 

The Town of Apex will hold a joint Town Council and Planning Board work session at 3:30 p.m. to discuss research related to Natelli Investments LLC’s proposed data center. The town’s Environmental Advisory Board reviewed the proposal in October, and this is the first time the project officially goes before the full town council. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed on Youtube. –Jane Porter

In Brief | What I’d Tell You Over Chai

📍 Genentech doubles down on Holly Springs: A biotechnology company coming to Holly Springs announced Tuesday that it will double its investment in its forthcoming manufacturing facility. This will translate to an additional 100 new jobs, bringing the total to 500, not including the construction-related jobs.

The investment “reflects Genentech’s continued confidence in the region’s community, workforce, and long-term growth potential,” according to Genentech’s release.

  • ETA: The project broke ground in August and is expected to be operational by 2029. 
  • High-paying jobs: The previously announced jobs are expected to pay $120,000 on average, WRAL reports.
  • Genentech joins CSL Seqirus, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies, Amgen, and others to choose Holly Springs. 
  • Genentech produces drugs for metabolic conditions, including obesity. 
  • What they’re saying: “We’ve seen explosive economic development in Holly Springs in just the past five years,” Vice Chair Safiyah Jackson, Wake County Board of Commissioners, said in the joint release. “Three Fortune 500 companies have announced plans to invest $6.7 billion and create more than 2,600 new jobs all within two square miles. It’s truly incredible.”

🏳️‍🌈 Apex Pride closes: The founder and lead organizer of Apex Pride announced this week that the organization that hosts events, including the annual Pride festival celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community, will shut down. “Despite much effort and several public calls for help over the years, we have not been able to grow our planning and fundraising team,” DeAnna Conrad wrote on Instagram. “I had hoped to have someone to pass the torch to, but I do not, and trying to maintain this balance is no longer tenable.”

🐶🐱 The basic design for a new animal shelter for Wake County was approved by the Wake County Board of Commissioners this week. The planned shelter will be in eastern Wake County on former farmland and will increase capacity for dogs and cats by 50%. Construction could start in 2027. The current animal shelter is closed for repairs until March 2. 

🍽️ The 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists list includes Steven Devereaux Greene, Herons at The Umstead, in Cary, from Western Wake County. 

Did You Guess the Coffee Shop?

It’s The Williams House! The all-day coffee shop and taproom, serving craft beer, wine, and cocktails, is located in a historic house in Downtown Cary, which also features a champagne bar and a bridal shop. 

James T. answered correctly first. His usual order is an “iced Americano with an extra shot of espresso during the day, any of their IPAs during the evening.” 

Try: My go-to order is an iced chai during the day, and The Williams House has an impressive array of non-alcoholic beverages in addition to the beer, wine, and cocktail selection. 

What else to know: The Williams House frequently hosts events, including live music and trivia, and there’s a selection of board games to play while you’re there. 

Find it: 210 East Chatham Street, Cary, open 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, and 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

The Line will be back in your inbox Tuesday!