Northeast Gateway, Holly Springs: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: the Town of Holly Springs’ Northeast Gateway Master Plan, Vision Holly Springs Land Use and Character Plan and project pages, the Wake County Public School System’s base school lookup, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, the U.S. Census Bureau’s TIGERweb town limits, OpenStreetMap and Zillow Research.

The Northeast Gateway is the town’s name for its northeastern entrance. The town’s Northeast Gateway Master Plan says it is “located at the intersection of Sunset Lake Road, Holly Springs Road, and the future interchange of NC 540.” That interchange is now open as Exit 50. The plan area “contains two square miles of land, much of which is currently undeveloped.” Homes here split between ZIP code 27539, with an Apex mailing address, and 27540.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: it depends on the street. Felton Grove High (81.2% of state tests at grade level in 2025-26), Holly Springs High (84.4%) or Middle Creek High (64.2%), according to the state’s accountability data. Check an address with the district’s base school lookup.
• Home value: $602,760 in ZIP code 27539 and $577,082 in 27540 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest freeway exit: N.C. 540 Exit 50 at Holly Springs Road, about 0.6 mile by road.

Part of our Holly Springs neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The center is the crossroads of Sunset Lake Road and Holly Springs Road, about 3 miles northeast of downtown, with the Triangle Expressway to the north. The town’s Land Use and Character Plan marks the land “immediately off the 540 interchange at Holly Springs Road” as a Regional Center, “a hub for entertainment and employment” where buildings “may stand two to ten stories tall” with “a mix of housing types within and surrounding the center.” It says the character of existing neighborhoods next to it “should be preserved.”

Town or county? The master plan says some land is in the town’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, under town development rules but “currently unincorporated and under the jurisdiction of Wake County.” We found 1,025 residential addresses within about three-quarters of a mile of the crossroads. On the Census Bureau’s TIGERweb map, 876 were inside town limits and 149 were not. The mailing city is no guide: 4710 Edwards Drive and 9205 Eisenhower Drive have Apex addresses but sit inside Holly Springs. See our property tax guide.

What is changing: NCDOT has a project to widen Sunset Lake Road between Lockley and Holly Springs roads, listed on the town’s transportation projects page.

Schools

The area is in the Wake County Public School System, and it is split between zones. All eight addresses we checked in the district’s base school lookup for 2026-27 were zoned for Holly Ridge Middle. For high school, four, on Fountain Ridge Place, Edwards Drive, Eisenhower Drive and Canterwood Drive, were zoned for Felton Grove High. Two, on Elmcrest Drive and Sunset Forest Circle, were zoned for Holly Springs High. Two outside town limits, on Spring Street and Olive Hill Drive, were zoned for Middle Creek High and Middle Creek Elementary. Five were zoned for Holly Ridge Elementary and one for Holly Springs Elementary.

Scores are the share of state tests at grade level or above in 2025-26 and the state’s growth rating, from the accountability data.

Four-year graduation rates were above 95% at Holly Springs High and 94.9% at Middle Creek High; Felton Grove High has none yet. More in our schools guide.

Home values

Zillow publishes no figure for the Northeast Gateway. The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.

Trends are on our home prices page.

Parks and trails

The town has begun planning the Camp Branch Greenway, about 1.21 miles of asphalt and boardwalk “off Sunset Lake Road in eastern Holly Springs” between the Wescott, Carrington and Sunset Oaks neighborhoods. It is planned to connect to a greenway in Cary. The town will show early designs from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, in the Bass Lake Conference Room, 900 Bass Lake Road. Bass Lake Park itself is about 2 miles southwest. More in our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

• N.C. 540: Exit 50 at Holly Springs Road is about 0.6 mile by road from the crossroads; the Triangle Expressway is a toll road.
• Downtown Holly Springs: about 2.9 miles by road along Holly Springs Road.
• RDU International Airport: about 23 miles by road.
• Holly Springs Hopper: the town’s on-demand rides serve town limits and its extraterritorial jurisdiction, according to its Hopper page.

Distances were measured with the OSRM routing engine on OpenStreetMap roads. They are distances, not drive times. More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

OpenStreetMap lists a Harris Teeter at 5277 Sunset Lake Road in the Sunset Lake Commons center and a CVS Pharmacy at 5153 Sunset Lake Road in the Shoppes at Woodcreek, both at the crossroads.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Northeast Gateway in Holly Springs?

It is the town’s name for its northeastern entrance at Sunset Lake Road, Holly Springs Road and the N.C. 540 interchange. The town’s Northeast Gateway Master Plan covers about two square miles there.

What high school serves the Northeast Gateway area?

It is split. Of eight addresses we checked for 2026-27, four were zoned for Felton Grove High, two for Holly Springs High and two, outside town limits, for Middle Creek High. All eight were zoned for Holly Ridge Middle.

What is the typical home value near Sunset Lake Road in Holly Springs?

The area is split between ZIP codes 27539, where the Zillow Home Value Index was $602,760 in August 2026, and 27540, where it was $577,082.

Where is the nearest N.C. 540 exit?

Exit 50 at Holly Springs Road, about 0.6 mile by road from the Sunset Lake Road crossroads.