Good people of Cary,

I’ve been in New England for the past week and enjoying the cooler weather. While it was a nice change in scenery, it sure feels great to be back home in Cary.

There is quite a bit happening in our local government this week.

Town Council is set to vote Thursday on a significant expansion of Cary's smoking rules that would add vaping and extend restrictions to parks, greenways and enclosed public spaces around town.

We also learned more about last week's massive water main break. The pipe that failed was only 25 years old, well short of its expected lifespan, and Cary is still trying to determine exactly why it broke.

And for this week's featured story, I dug into a new state law that significantly changes how much control Cary has over certain redevelopment projects.

More on all of this below.

Thank you for continuing to support local,

James

Cary's smoking rules could get considerably broader this week.

Town Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on an update to Cary's smoking ordinance that would prohibit both smoking and vaping on all Town-owned property, including parks, greenways and trails.

While state law prohibits indoor smoking inside restaurants, bars, and government buildings, this Cary-specific proposal would expand those restrictions to also include electronic cigarettes or vapes.

Smokeless products like nicotine pouches would not be affected.

There would also be exemptions for private homes and vehicles, certain cigar bars and tobacco shops, private clubs and some hotel rooms. Cary's town manager would also be able to designate certain outdoor areas where smoking and vaping could remain permitted.

Someone who continued smoking or vaping after being told to stop could face a fine of up to $50.

Over in Raleigh, a similar updated ordinance was approved and went into effect last April. Raleigh already had banned smoking in most public parks and greenways in 2011, but residents could still use electronic cigarettes. As of April, vapes are now also banned.

Council members have also raised questions over the past several months about enforcement and how far the Town should regulate legal nicotine use among adults.

If approved Thursday, the new rules would take effect July 1, 2027.

The proposal has received a noticeable push from local teenagers.

Students from Green Hope, Green Level and Panther Creek high schools have repeatedly spoken to Town Council this year about how common vaping has become among teenagers and asked Cary to expand its existing rules.

No matter how you feel about expanding these regulations, there is no denying that the students who chose to speak up have done an outstanding job. You can watch the last council meeting where they participated here, time-stamped to the first speaker (followed by two additional speakers). Their professionalism, data, and just general demeanor are at a level we adults should be striving to reach during these meetings.

A final decision is scheduled for Thursday's regular Town Council meeting.

N&O’s Andrea Galliano wrote a great piece a few days ago about this topic, including interviews with some of the students leading the charge. It is linked in the additional reading section below.

Additional reading: News & Observer, Raleigh’s Ordinance

There is also an interesting update to last week's massive water main break.

Cary initially estimated that the 30-inch transmission line that failed along N.C. 55 was around 33 years old. After reviewing the original construction records, the Town says the pipe was actually installed in 2001, making it only 25 years old.

According to Cary Utilities Director Jamie Revels, that type of ductile iron pipe has a design life of at least 50 years, and inspections of the pipe immediately surrounding the failure found those sections to be in excellent condition.

So why did it break? Cary still does not know for sure.

The failed section is undergoing forensic analysis. Revels said the Town's initial assessment is that corrosion combined with system dynamics associated with air entering and exiting the pipeline may have contributed to the failure, but Cary has not reached a final conclusion.

The break ultimately triggered a pressure advisory affecting approximately 50,000 people.

Cary says water pressure was generally restored within two to three hours, although the precautionary advisory remained in place until bacteriological testing was completed the following morning, which thankfully showed no contamination.

For some broader context, Cary maintains more than 1,100 miles of water mains and says it spends approximately $4 million to $5 million annually replacing aging sections of the system.

The Town says it will review whether any changes to its inspection, maintenance, design or replacement practices are needed once the investigation into this particular failure is finished.

Additional reading: Town of Cary, WRAL

There is a pretty significant change coming to the way some properties can be redeveloped in Cary.

A provision inside North Carolina's Regulatory Reform Act of 2026 took effect August 11 and requires certain cities to allow housing on properties being redeveloped in commercial, business or light industrial zoning districts.

That includes single-family homes, duplexes and multifamily housing.

More importantly, qualifying projects must be allowed through the property's existing zoning rather than requiring the property owner to first convince Town Council to approve a residential rezoning.

To put it plainly: converting some office parks and commercial properties to residential uses will no longer require the rezoning process that normally includes public hearings and a vote by Town Council.

The law does not apply everywhere in North Carolina. It only applies to municipalities with at least 80,000 residents that are located in counties with populations of at least one million, using the most recent federal decennial census.

The 2020 Census counted 174,721 Cary residents and 1,129,410 people in Wake County, meaning the town easily clears this requirement.

Local zoning regulations subject to the new law cannot impose a maximum building height below 60 feet for these residential redevelopment projects.

For reference, 60 feet is typically around four to six stories, depending on the building.

While obviously this doesn't mean that every commercial property is going to turn into a six-story apartment complex, some property owners now have an easier path to doing exactly that.

Under the new law, qualifying commercial, business and light industrial properties being redeveloped must have a residential option available without a site-specific rezoning.

No rezoning vote required.

Cary has a lot of older office parks and commercial areas. As those properties age, some will inevitably be candidates for redevelopment.

Normally, converting an office property into a large apartment development could involve a rezoning process that includes neighborhood meetings, staff review, a public hearing and ultimately a vote by Town Council.

Take 24-REZ-06, a rezoning request to turn a property originally intended for an office building on Regency Parkway, near Koka Booth Amphitheatre, into an apartment complex. The request would allow up to 245 units and buildings up to 60 feet tall.

A public hearing was held in 2025, where about a dozen residents spoke, all in opposition to the rezoning. Mayor Harold Weinbrecht also said he had received dozens of complaints about the proposal. Town Council ultimately did not make a final decision, and the rezoning request remains unresolved more than two years after it was filed.

Under the new law, a similar qualifying redevelopment could potentially bypass that entire rezoning process.

Mayor Harold Weinbrecht has been pretty blunt about what he thinks this could mean for Cary.

“So old office buildings in Weston and Regency can now be turned into high rise apartment buildings without any council approval,” Weinbrecht wrote on his blog Sunday. “Good luck to those folks who live near office parks [or] shopping centers.”

For years, one of the biggest local debates surrounding growth has been what should be built where, and Town Council's rezoning votes have traditionally been one of the main places where those debates play out.

For at least some redevelopment projects, the state has now changed that process.

Additional reading: North Carolina General Assembly summary of the Regulatory Reform Act of 2026.

Interested in partnering with us? Reach out at [email protected] and let's find something that works for you.

What: Sertoma Amphitheatre will screen Monsters, Inc. for a free outdoor movie night. Before the movie, there will be a themed craft, karaoke and free popcorn. Bring your own blanket or stadium seat.

Where: Sertoma Amphitheatre at Bond Park (801 High House Road)

When: Wed, September 23 | 7:30–9:30 p.m.

More Info

What: ZZ Top and Dwight Yoakam bring their Dos Amigos Tour to Cary, with Wesko opening the show. This concert was originally scheduled for May before being postponed because of weather.

Where: Koka Booth Amphitheatre (8003 Regency Parkway)

When: Thu, September 24 | 6 p.m.

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What: Cary Players opens its production of The Prom, a Broadway musical about four theater stars who descend on a small town after learning that a high school student wants to bring her girlfriend to prom. Performances continue through October 4.

Where: Cary Arts Center (101 Dry Avenue)

When: Opens Fri, September 25 | 7:30 p.m.

More Info

You do not technically need a dog to enjoy this week's destination.

The Barkyard at Downtown Cary Park is Cary's downtown dog park, tucked along Walker Street on the eastern side of the park. It is split into two fenced sections: a roughly 10,200-square-foot area for larger dogs and a 4,600-square-foot area for smaller ones. Inside are shaded areas, play mounds, water features and a mix of turf, concrete, gravel and mulch.

If you do have a pup, this is one of Cary's three membership-based dog parks. A day pass is $5, while annual passes start at $41 for Cary residents with one dog. The same pass also works at the dog parks at Godbold Park and Jack Smith Park.

But honestly, one of my favorite things about the Barkyard is that you do not have to go inside at all.

The park is easy to watch from the outside, and you’ll be joined by dozens of other spectators, with some enjoying a beverage from the Bark Bar, watching the pups run around and have the time of their lives.

It is basically free live entertainment.

Because it is part of Downtown Cary Park, it is easy to combine with a walk through the gardens, the Skywalk, and the rest of the park. Daisy drags me into the actual dog park section as soon as we get near the fountain, so she struggles with this, but I would imagine dogs with better listening ears would enjoy this.

This is also probably one of the better times of year to check it out.

As the weather cools down, the dog park tends to become a much more appealing place to spend an afternoon or evening. Dogs can run around without dealing with peak summer heat, owners are more likely to hang around longer, and the whole thing generally feels livelier as more people return to the park.

So even if you don't have a pup, it is worth wandering by.

The Barkyard at Downtown Cary Park
312 S. Walker Street
Daily | 7 a.m.–10 p.m.
No entry after 9 p.m.

More Info

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