[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6659065,"mediaKeyId","3796366-f1ae779517f3a96ea16f1f723cc34f1a","parentId",3796366,"title","Council discusses creating Canton Community Land Trust to lower purchase prices for selected buyers at North Canton site","audioSeconds",1977,"startMs",2253000,"endMs",4230000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3796366-f1ae779517f3a96ea16f1f723cc34f1a&start=2253&end=4230","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3796366-f1ae779517f3a96ea16f1f723cc34f1a/thumbnail_2253000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6659065/Canton-City/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Council-discusses-creating-Canton-Community-Land-Trust-to-lower-purchase-prices-for-selected-buyers-at-North-Canton-site","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659065-e7f19d83502305974bb6dc62bf5baa36/orig.mp4?Expires=1775265322&Signature=JH9GwdYvKqSLQjMfstJP85e~w78CcPDEoB49PF2RzEv2rRvwxoYefygRNFvjuVIWrYquYHgZFAC8Jki9C-L6~WqQBND9LzhCM89yS5-XA3aJwmh76pINnI~LVpG9YXk2bAVjPysoLPssMPwBRJbdcirI5ho2unLDyf~xt7SlmB3oCh4uHNlyQgbeSh0qNDgguz2jS~oMXLoyEOl36RyG0S8HWgur91OFoNMzk~pQtS4V2lLquYMe4PuUhu12LYfRx8e48L56ij5eQgVWLOz9t2H1kKgnfoZHgqV2~qbKLGGwu6b7Vp69~-1CHlasU4g5J-kpW281tjKbHr1HVzwn3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Canton","date","2025-06-06T13:28:39Z","article","City staff and members of the Canton Housing Team spent more than an hour on June 5 discussing whether to form a Canton Community Land Trust (CLT) and use it to guide development of the 1.9-acre North Canton Cottage Village parcel.

The discussion did not produce a final vote. Instead, staff described a proposal for a project-specific CLT and asked council whether it wants staff to pursue the legal documents, board structure and resale rules and return with a formal package for future action.

The proposal aimed to lower the purchase price of homes by separating the land value from the cost of the house and selling the structure with a long-term ground lease. \"If we decided to do this, the city would transfer the land to a land trust,\" city staff member Michael Dyer told council, adding that the buyer would purchase the structure and a lease rather than the land. Dyer suggested limiting future buyers to households within a targeted area of area median income (AMI) to preserve affordability without complex equity formulas.

Housing-team member Jeff Patton (referred to in the meeting as \"Mister Patton\") reviewed resale formula options and income limits. He said staff had provided a draft resale formula and examples and noted trade-offs: \"Homeowners wishing to pursue this avenue know on the front end that they're not going to maximize that equity,\" Patton said, describing the fixed-rate formula staff recommended as the simplest option. Patton also provided HUD AMI figures used for eligibility calculations and examples at 60, 80 and 100 percent AMI; he told council the HUD AMI used in staff materials was $114,200.

Staff and several council members discussed raising the down-payment-assistance income cap to 120% of AMI for this project so prospective buyers could qualify for conventional loans at lower sale prices. Dyer offered sample household figures: a 120% AMI example produces roughly $95,000 for a one-person household and $137,000 for a four-person household, numbers Dyer said illustrate the \"missing middle\" that might be able to buy if the land is removed from the sale price.

Council and staff framed the CLT discussion as a pilot for a small development: the property at issue could yield roughly nine single-family units under the staff's initial concept, though developers might propose different housing types. Dyer said the city could require any proposed development to be approved by council and that the land trust board could initially be populated by city staff to get the entity started.

Councilmembers raised implementation and governance questions — board composition, enforcement of resale or occupancy restrictions, exceptions for hardship and the mechanics of recording leasehold restrictions on title. Dyer said those details could be drafted before any transfer of city-owned land: \"The city council could create the community land trust, establish the makeup of the board, have all the documentation in place before any transfers of property ever occurred from the city to the land trust,\" he said.

Several councilmembers signaled interest in pursuing the concept as a pilot but emphasized they wanted a full package before any transfer. No formal motion to create a CLT or to transfer property was taken; staff said they would return with detailed legal documents and financing scenarios for council consideration at a later meeting (staff suggested the July meeting as a possible next step).

Clarifying details provided to council included (1) resale-formula options (fixed-rate, index/appraisal-based and mortgage-based variations) and staff preference for a fixed-rate model as simplest; (2) HUD AMI used in staff materials: $114,200; (3) the proposal under discussion targeted roughly nine units on the North Canton parcel and would pair a CLT lease with the city's down-payment assistance program; and (4) the city could record a memorandum of lease and deed restrictions to enforce income or occupancy limitations for resale.

Council members also asked staff to consider protections against investor purchases and rules for subleasing or hardship rentals; staff said covenants and the lease could prohibit rentals without the land-trust board's consent and that hardship exceptions could be drafted. Staff also warned that a CLT is a long-term tool: some lease terms could last multiple decades and unwinding transfers later would be legally and administratively complex.

The discussion closed with staff agreeing to prepare a full package of governance documents, resale rules, targeted income bands and cost estimates for lead, site work and potential down-payment assistance adjustments for council review at a future meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Canton GA City Council June 5 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff and members of the Canton Housing Team spent more than an hour on June 5 discussing whether to form a Canton Community Land Trust (CLT) and use it to guide development of the 1.9-acre North Canton Cottage Village parcel.","taxTitle","Canton City, Cherokee County, Georgia","taxId",52745,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6659055,"Council approves consent agenda, awards water and right-of-way contracts and backs I-575 emergency median opening",418,1781000,2199000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3796366-f1ae779517f3a96ea16f1f723cc34f1a&start=1781&end=2199","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3796366-f1ae779517f3a96ea16f1f723cc34f1a/thumbnail_1781000.jpg","/articles/6659055/Canton-City/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Council-approves-consent-agenda-awards-water-and-right-of-way-contracts-and-backs-I-575-emergency-median-opening","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659055-fae47822073337c4b105faeec4cc790e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775265322&Signature=F1A5ddiXrbo87coCnQkZHba-xwWebGzZO1Tc7ReRpPGLR4PFkH1CB9h316WFQZlh5kVX6mbZr9HPIH6kZYzP1fvB9-qjHexstrXZjb16mD20W-X79QeOXfPLOni8dgq85njsw~GALBNGa3a42qc4IyuTN3sXLccoh5hpi~eaG7HbvmRyf1ah1vyGiHWUaIglR9jW4WMkA55zVOFMAaHiLlQCk6rqg3GGHCUBtpK4v3dpvscbpZirYG6Hknf6BG9cMwIlva7MJbdhhiBfrxr0SnplNJkoYcGJ1MKb1bUQEYibydBHqhQEUYSa0ydQCUJVDd97HtG~FPTT5TUru8XDUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Canton City Council approved a consent agenda and several discrete motions during its June 5 meeting, taking actions on water system engineering task orders, right-of-way purchases and a public-safety letter of support.

Consent agenda: Council adopted the consent agenda as presented, which included (a) award of the river vault installation to Cummins Enterprises in the amount of $73,712.57; (b) award of Task Order 7, Addendum 2 for supplemental services for the Ridge Pine elevated tank and booster pump station construction administration to Black & Veatch in the amount of $490,661; and (c) award of Task Order 13 to Black & Veatch for Canton's water system master plan project in the amount of $486,500. A councilmember made the motion to approve the consent agenda; the motion passed with all members voting in favor.

Right-of-way acquisition for West Main Street pedestrian improvements: Planning staff reported negotiated settlements for Parcels 2 and 5, with Parcel 2 at $25,573 and Parcel 5 at $29,280 (total $54,853). A councilmember moved to approve the right-of-way acquisitions; the motion passed unanimously.

Letter of support for I-575 emergency median opening: Staff said PDP completed a design and applied for a Georgia Department of Transportation permit for an emergency median opening intended to improve first-responder access; GDOT initially denied the permit. Council voted to authorize submission of a letter of support endorsing the median-opening application; the motion passed with all members recorded as voting in favor.

Votes recorded in the transcript are summarized as unanimous for each approved motion; the transcript states \"All members voted for the motion\" for several items but does not provide a roll-call tally in the public record portion of the transcript.

Council also received information about the Georgia Power pole relocation estimate ($40,523) related to the Canton Creek pedestrian bridge project; staff said the relocation cost is included as part of the project grant budget and that the city's franchise agreement requires the city to pay 62.25% of the relocation cost.","On June 5 the council approved the consent agenda including water system and elevated-tank consultant task orders, approved negotiated right-of-way purchases for the West Main Street pedestrian project, and authorized a letter of support for an I-575 emergency median opening; all motions passed unanimously in the recorded session.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6659058,"Public hearing held on removing 2006 zoning conditions for Joe Green Lane parcel; neighbors support single-family home instead of large subdivision",260,351000,611000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3796366-f1ae779517f3a96ea16f1f723cc34f1a&start=351&end=611","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3796366-f1ae779517f3a96ea16f1f723cc34f1a/thumbnail_351000.jpg","/articles/6659058/Canton-City/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Public-hearing-held-on-removing-2006-zoning-conditions-for-Joe-Green-Lane-parcel-neighbors-support-single-family-home-instead-of-large-subdivision","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659058-d91e533c92626f69c0e008b60dd038e4/orig.mp4?Expires=1775265322&Signature=GiLiAiPRQucCwdXMWjfbZGxO6E3lFZ7Bfd7MKjXfi9ykaMgJqObHkzpcsl30uX5J1500dC84qkK28h3bPHhPNW7RkIJXDdCSMcZGME25ou4DJsj78tdehpErt4dsMtpRyyUIqxx~m94Og2~VFjCwHlFJPO8-9IBEj5AwvPFaWT0M32EYVydwym01iDIqOiotHLeSlaN5OxSdweAcbLLB7JLQUR4BiLKcwTeYe-4Hmb1drx~E-WiTFKaUoAjAZaGH0pqxW8B1jlfgzhcB~CZOa6rBoQG3xrDzjVq0bW0rz7AAM2nAEifSXqcwLYypP8o7bfltKzCyY-TAEkXHmKEdhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City planning staff opened a public hearing June 5 on case ZCA2504-001, a request to remove zoning conditions placed on a 30-plus-acre parcel at the end of Joe Green Lane.

Planning staff explained the property had been annexed and rezoned in February and previously approved for up to a 69-lot residential subdivision; the owner now wants most or all of the 2006 conditions removed to build a single-family primary residence (with a possible accessory dwelling unit) instead.

The applicant, property owner Lee Lichtenstein, told council he purchased the lot to build a \"forever home\" and that the proposed disturbance for the house footprint would be less than 1% of the acreage. Builder Michael Grant presented a site sketch showing a limited land-disturbance area for a single-family dwelling.

Several neighbors spoke in support. Winnie Whitmore, of 614 Little Bear Loop in the Great Sky subdivision, said residents were relieved the request would likely preserve more trees than a 69-lot development and said she supported limiting development to a single home. \"We're very much in favor of that property being kept with most trees possible in just 1 house,\" Whitmore said.

Adjoining-property owner Steve Gourley said he owns lots at 556 and 546 Joe Green Lane and supported a single-home outcome, saying a large subdivision would strain neighborhood roads.

After public comment, council closed the hearing and invited questions for planning staff. Planning staff estimated theoretical yield under R-10 zoning as a gross 133 units but, after accounting for roadways, buffers and detention the realistic figure would be closer to 65 units; staff said the current owner's plan is for a single-family dwelling with a possible accessory dwelling unit, which fits the R-10 use.

The transcript records no final council action on the case at the June 5 meeting; council members asked planning staff questions but did not vote during the session recorded in the transcript.","A public hearing was held on ZCA2504-001, a request to remove 19 zoning conditions placed in 2006 on a 30+-acre parcel at the end of Joe Green Lane. The owner said he intends to build a single-family home; nearby residents told council they favor one house and preservation of trees rather than the previously approved larger subdivision.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6659062,"Canton council adopts downtown master plan with feasibility requirement before road-diet projects",193,1867000,2060000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3796366-f1ae779517f3a96ea16f1f723cc34f1a&start=1867&end=2060","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3796366-f1ae779517f3a96ea16f1f723cc34f1a/thumbnail_1867000.jpg","/articles/6659062/Canton-City/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Canton-council-adopts-downtown-master-plan-with-feasibility-requirement-before-road-diet-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659062-a1f1163abf687e0de985751d0de1dbd5/orig.mp4?Expires=1775265322&Signature=aNm8rbT5W3sB-Otrisj5LOkaX2hJh3Aq5HTTyfRKVlQDaoiyOYMNQZ6DHwoluCtZuNuGOg~EBmEgSLO4qFuzlNx8wLHHnhFKU6NGqr8WnX9u9fKmgAK8pqbnKJk97XX0DFZ5ha1hq0VvYS4~I8sSQOGynYTFWE8XhDmlkpp-U7m6EIk8nfqM4YBI6MJcazIMsB8dVddZR5PeIj86ySrfaRrHFZZ~Ou7CZ64Q9PZ1sIoOw1rh3m0EfLGpGYrmSYS~gnVOrBQJFxGB95Me6eip4MYE~zBWpGDSKE~6iicy~3232jdCnNt4J~N0kLAXwWdGWreiM0Bym2TtBjPkeP0ssg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Canton City Council voted June 5 to adopt an updated downtown master plan that adds a new footnote requiring a project-level feasibility assessment before any road-diet project can proceed.

The plan, prepared by Modern Mobility, was revised after council feedback. Planner Bethany Watson told council the major change is a note on multiple pages that reads: a feasibility assessment shall be submitted and reviewed by staff and city council as part of a larger development project prior to implementation of road diet projects.

Councilmember Waterman moved to approve the downtown master plan; the motion passed with all members voting in favor. Watson confirmed that the feasibility footnote would appear everywhere the plan mentions a road diet, and that the council would review each road-diet candidate on a project-by-project basis before any implementation.

Council members said the footnote addressed business and citizen concerns about traffic impacts and clarified that the plan's recommendations would not be implemented automatically. \"I do again, I think the plan is important for the future downtown,\" a councilmember said during the discussion, praising staff and the consultant for incorporating council input.

The council did not attach any additional funding or project approvals to the plan adoption; future projects that implement elements of the plan will require separate feasibility reviews, staff recommendations and individual council votes.","The City Council approved an updated downtown master plan that adds a requirement that any proposed road-diet projects include a feasibility assessment reviewed by staff and council before implementation; council approved the plan unanimously.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council discusses creating Canton Community Land Trust to lower purchase prices for selected buyers at North Canton site

Council approves consent agenda, awards water and right-of-way contracts and backs I-575 emergency median opening

Public hearing held on removing 2006 zoning conditions for Joe Green Lane parcel; neighbors support single-family home instead of large subdivision

Canton council adopts downtown master plan with feasibility requirement before road-diet projects