Perhaps you have noticed the increased number of new businesses in downtown Canton lately. Retailers, restaurants and new offices have moved into the city’s center, bringing new visitors to downtown with them.
Suites do not sit vacant for as long as they used to. Parking spaces are occupied during the day. You see people strolling around Main and North Streets. Festivals and events introduce hundreds to the city of Canton, Georgia.
These are indicators of a vibrant community, and my hat is off to everyone working so hard to improve Canton; you know who you are.
However, we cannot afford to settle in contentment with what we have. While we are certainly grateful, we know there is still a lot of work to be done. Realizing potential is always an uphill climb.
How do we create a sustainable flow of foot traffic? How could we accommodate more people being downtown at once? More people want to live downtown, but where would the residential units be built, and what kind of housing do we want? What steps could we take to infuse more nightlife into the district?
Our opportunity to address these long-term issues is here.
If you are a resident, businessperson or admirer of Canton, I urge you to get involved in our upcoming Downtown Master Plan.
We need your input.
I have mentioned the master plan before, but its importance needs to be reiterated. 2015 is coming to a close, and the call for community input will pick up early into 2016.
The implementation and results of the master plan will influence downtown growth decisions for the next five, ten, fifteen or even twenty years to come.
We have not had comprehensive downtown master planning since the original River Mill LCI Study of 2001.
It is not hard to see that much has changed since then, and given Canton’s growth potential, everyone’s voice needs to be heard to ensure our plan is effective, realistic and aligns with our community values.
Officially named, “#CantonForward: Etowah to the Loop,” our upcoming master plan’s land area encompasses all of downtown, the textile mills, parts of the Marietta Road corridor and extends as far west as the I-575 southbound interchange.
It is a big area and one of significant value to our future to attract and retain jobs, encourage quality development, improve our quality of life, and re-shape Canton’s core.
TSW, a planning and architecture firm out of Atlanta, has been selected to facilitate the planning effort.
Before we embrace the New Year, I want to put this on your radar. A plan of this magnitude needs your input.
Stay tuned through the city’s website (Canton-Georgia.com), local media outlets and the project’s very own website, CantonForward.com, for public input meetings, presentations and community surveys.
The more input from you, the better our plan.
Do our city a favor, and lend your voice. Downtown Master Planning needs you.
to your business!