Canton is a growing city with a lot to offer those who live, work, and visit here. We have great restaurants, shopping, the Etowah River, and many city sponsored events and festivals for everyone to enjoy. As leaders of one of the fastest growing cities in north Georgia, your City Council has a profound responsibility to put measures in place that protect our small-town feel while adopting smart standards for growth that will serve Canton and its citizens for generations to come.
When I joined City Council in January, I was tasked with assisting with our city housing initiative and helping frame our City Roadmap, which is what we will use to guide Canton’s growth into the future, utilizing smart, measured, and sustainable approaches. The roadmap is due to be completed this year.
Canton is also currently conducting a Housing Study. The study will reveal where we stand regarding housing options and inventory as well as offer creative solutions for the growth that is surely coming. Once completed, the study will be overlaid with our City Roadmap. When developers seek to gain approval for specific projects, they will be informed of our requirements. Our directive will be “quality over quantity” with the goal of offering high quality housing solutions for all citizens. Top quality, yet affordable building products that will last for many decades will be the norm. We will not approve development of low-quality homes or apartment complexes.
One of the components of our roadmap will be to offer creative, out-of-the-box thinking, high-quality workforce housing. New firefighters, nurses, police officers, and anyone starting their careers will have more options than ever. We are looking at new housing options at all levels, for instance, new estate homes on larger lots for doctors who practice in Canton but currently live in other cities.
Citizens who require assisted housing will also have more high quality options. We will encourage developers to offer affordable housing developments for our seniors, which is the fastest growing segment of our population. In addition, Canton will soon have housing options for citizens who wish to live in the downtown area. So, there are lots of very exciting things going on in housing in our great city.
City Council is in talks to assist in the redevelopment of sections of Canton that need revitalization. One housing type that has worked well in cities like Canton is cottage homes, which attract millennials, baby boomers, and seniors, offering smaller footprints and less maintenance. The market is shifting. Most people no longer seek large houses with large lots. Often, people want smaller homes and smaller yards that do not require the upkeep of traditional sized lots. There are amazing housing options available that are not traditional “stick built” homes. For instance, high quality “tiny” or prefabricated houses may be used, where appropriate.
Look for more communication from your City Council, as our roadmap continues to evolve. We want to be out in front when it comes to housing options for our citizens. If you have ideas or suggestions, please feel free to email me directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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