Two significant developments in Wake County signal growing confidence that our area will continue attracting high-earning technology professionals from California, each taking a distinctly different approach to serving this demographic.
Who is Guarang “Greg” Gala?
Guarang “Greg” Gala of Legacy Carolina Development has filed annexation and rezoning applications with the Town of Cary for property east of Old Chatham Golf Club. Gala, a Cary resident, is developing 25 single-family luxury homes specifically targeting California transplants working in technology, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical industries at Research Triangle Park.
What Makes These Homes Different?
The homes, priced between $950,000 and $1.5 million, will average 2,800 to 3,500 square feet on minimum 6,500 square-foot lots. Every garage includes standard 60-amp electric vehicle chargers, reflecting Gala’s expectation that buyers will own electric vehicles.
“I live in Cary and believe in Cary. I believe the jobs are in RTP, not in Raleigh and we want to develop as close to RTP as humanly possible,” Gala told the Triangle Business Journal. “We are bearish on Downtown Raleigh and bullish on RTP.”
The 12.6-acre development site includes properties at 606 and 694 Pittard Sears Road and an unaddressed parcel on Pittard Sears Road, with combined assessed value of $615,842. Legacy Carolina Development expects rezoning completion by end of 2025, site plan approval by early 2027, and construction beginning spring 2027.
Where is Alpha Raleigh Located?
Meanwhile, Alpha Raleigh represents an educational approach targeting the same demographic. This artificial intelligence-powered private school opens fall 2025 at Guidepost Montessori, serving kindergarten through third grade initially with plans to expand through eighth grade.
What is Alpha Schools’ Teaching Method?
MacKenzie Price, Alpha Schools co-founder, describes a distinctive two-hour morning model where students work with AI tutors for personalized instruction in math, reading, science, and social studies. Afternoons focus on hands-on workshops teaching public speaking, financial literacy, teamwork, and entrepreneurship.
“Our model allows kids to be met at exactly the level and the pace they need,” Price explained during a Raleigh visit. “When kids get personalized learning that meets them where they are, the sky’s the limit.”
At other Alpha School locations, sixth graders have managed Airbnb properties, 8-year-olds launched startups, 10-year-olds delivered TED-style presentations, 12-year-olds tackled Harvard Business School challenges, and teenagers developed mobile applications.
How Do These Developments Connect?
Both ventures reflect strategic confidence in Wake County’s continued appeal to California technology professionals. Legacy Carolina Development bets on proximity to Research Triangle Park and the proposed Apple campus, while Alpha Raleigh bets on innovative education appealing to tech-savvy families.
The luxury homes target workers relocating for positions at Research Triangle Park companies, while Alpha Raleigh serves families seeking cutting-edge educational approaches. Both recognize that traditional offerings may not satisfy this specific demographic’s expectations.
Teachers at Alpha Raleigh, called “guides,” focus on motivational and emotional support rather than lesson planning or grading, as artificial intelligence handles academic instruction personalization.
The Cary development also positions itself near the potential Apple campus location, pending the technology giant’s decision following its summer 2024 pause announcement.
These developments suggest Wake County businesses increasingly view California technology worker migration not as a general trend but as a specific market segment with identifiable preferences for electric vehicles, proximity to Research Triangle Park, and innovative education options.
Related Links:
Transcript
[0:00] Okay, so I’m reading about this carry development, and at first I’m thinking, luxury homes, sure, everybody’s building those.
[0:08] But then I get to the part where they’re building them specifically for California tech workers, and I’m like, hold on! They’re that confident about who’s moving here? 25 homes starting at near a million dollars, each one with an EV charger, standard. Not as an upgrade. Standard. Specifically targeting people from the West Coast who work in tech. I mean, that’s not just building houses. That’s basically saying we know exactly who you are and what you drive. And then I found this story about an AI-powered school opening right here in Raleigh, where kindergartners work with robot tutors, and I’m thinking, wait a minute. These people are making the exact same bet from completely different directions. It’s like they’re both reading from the same playbook about who’s moving to Wake County. Hey, good morning, my friends. This is Good Morning Wake County. I’m Steve. I’m coming to you from Wake Forest. The story’s from our little corner of the world that probably didn’t make your news feed, but might change how you think about who’s moving in next door. Oh, and stick around. I got a dad joke so wonderfully terrible about computers. Even your smart home will cringe.
[1:24] So here’s what made me stop and re-read the whole thing. Legacy Carolina Development filed papers to annex land near the Chatham-Carrie border. That’s east of Old Chatham Golf Club. They want to build 25 homes ranging from $950 to $1.5 million.
[1:43] But they’re not just building expensive houses and hoping rich people show up. No, they got a very specific customer in mind. Garang Gala, who goes by Greg, told the Triangle Business Journal that his company is bearish on downtown Raleigh and bullish on RTP. Those are his exact words. They want to build as close to RTP as humanly possible because they believe that’s where the jobs are, not downtown. And here’s where it gets specific in a way that made me chuckle. Every single garage comes standard with a 60-amp EV charger. Not as an upgrade, not as an option, but standard. Because as Gala put it, the buyers for these homes would likely be electric vehicle owners. I mean, come on, that’s not market research, that’s profiling. You move here from California, you work in tech, you definitely drive a Tesla, and you want to live as close to your job as possible? Well, they basically built a checklist and turned it into a subdivision. The homes will be 2,800 to 3,500 square feet, minimum, 6,500 square foot lots, and they’re hoping to break ground around spring 2027, which means they’re betting this California to Carolina pipeline is going to keep flowing for at least the next three years.
[3:07] What gets me is how confident this bet is. Not just people will want a nice house in Cary. Everyone knows that, but California tech workers will pay seven figures to live as close as possible to RTB. They’ll all drive electric cars, and there’ll be enough of them to fill 25 houses.
[3:26] That’s putting a lot of chips on a very particular square.
[3:31] Which brings me to Alpha Raleigh, Where things get modern and interesting This is an artificial intelligence powered private school opening this fall And when I say AI powered I don’t mean they have nice computers I mean the robots are doing the teaching Here’s how it works Every morning students spend exactly two hours with AI tutors Not human tutors AI tutors Studying math, reading, science, and social studies The AI personalizes lessons to each kid’s pace Until they’ve mastered the material And then afternoons are hands-on workshops Teaching, public speaking, financial literacy, teamwork, and entrepreneurship.
[4:16] Now, Mackenzie Price, who founded Alpha Schools Says their model has produced some Let’s call them interesting results at other campuses Are you ready for this? 6th graders managing Airbnb properties 8-year-olds launching startups 10-year-olds giving TED-style talks 12-year-olds tackling Harvard Business School case studies, Yeah, I had to read that twice Because, okay, this is either the future of education Or we’re about to create a generation of very stressed-out 10-year-olds With tiny business cards and LinkedIn profiles, Maybe both But I don’t know about you I think it sounds interesting, bordering on amazing. The human teachers, they call them guides, which is very on-brand for an AI school. They don’t develop lesson plans or grade homework anymore. Their job is motivational and emotional support, while the AI robots handle the academic heavy lifting. So basically, the teachers are now life coaches for kids whose math tutors are computers. Alpha Raleigh will be located at Guidepost Montessori, starting with kindergarten through third grade, with plans to expand through eighth grade. It’s one of the seven new Alpha campuses launching nationwide this year.
[5:43] And here’s what connects to our luxury home story. Both are betting that Wake County is attracting families who don’t just want good options. They want completely different options. Not just nice schools, robot teachers. Not just nice houses, but houses that assume you drive an electric vehicle. I keep thinking about how ridiculously confident you have to be in your read of Wake County’s future to make investments this specific. Million dollar homes with mandatory EV chargers Robot tutors for kindergartners These aren’t hedged bets These are companies saying We know exactly who you are What you drive And how you want your kids to be educated And honestly, I love humans We’re so smart and so slow at the same time These businesses figured out that California tech workers moving to Wake County to be near the future Apple campus aren’t just looking for good enough. They want the exact same lifestyle they had, just with lower cost of living
[6:50] and maybe, maybe a little bit less traffic. So build them houses designed for electric vehicles and schools run by artificial intelligence.
[7:00] Time will tell if they’re both right, but it’s fascinating to watch different industries look at the same trend and say, Hey, can you hold my beer? I think I got this figured out. Hey, if any of this seems worth passing along, whether it’s luxury homes or basically profile buyers or kindergartners getting math lessons from AI robots, send this to someone who might get a kick out of it.
[7:25] And if you come across stories like these in Wake County or our surrounding communities, just let me know through tapyournews.com. Sometimes the best discoveries come from neighbors who notice when someone else is making a very specific bet about our future. All right, I promise you that wonderfully terrible dad joke. Here it is. Why did the robot go on a diet? Because it had too many bites. Oh, they crack me up. Take care of yourself. I’ll catch you next time. Stay awesome. See ya.