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Canton housing team outlines options to expand attainable homeownership
Summary
The Canton housing team described barriers to homeownership and proposed strategies including accessory dwelling units, cottage villages and land-trust models to keep teachers, first responders and other local workers living in Canton.
Leonard Akers, a member of the GIC-funded Canton housing team and a Canton resident, presented the group’s findings and recommendations to the City Council on March 6.
Akers said Canton faces a widening gap between local wages and home prices. He told the council that the average Canton home price in 2024 was “just under $500,000,” and used an example of a registered nurse earning about $90,000 who would qualify for a mortgage on a home valued near $279,000 under typical lending rules — a price he said is not available in Canton’s market. “If she comes up with down payment, what she can afford…that home doesn't exist in the city of Canton,” he said.
The presentation outlined several interventions: accessory dwelling units (ADUs), duplexes/quadplexes that fit neighborhood character, ‘missing middle’ housing, cottage villages and use of land-bank or community land trust models to lower or separate land cost from housing cost. Akers said the Canton housing team can distribute free cottage plans to families who build ADUs and that voluntary down-payment assistance funds have been created by developers who contribute to a local fund.
Speakers who addressed the council during the housing presentation and related public comment emphasized the shortage of affordable options for seniors and families. Daryl Rice, representing the Canton Housing Authority, supported a city loan commitment as a competitive advantage for state tax-credit applications and described a $500,000 loan as “skin in the game” that would be returned to the city if used as a loan. Deanna Gale, resource coordinator for Cherokee County Senior Services and a housing-team member, said many seniors on fixed incomes cannot qualify for rentals because of income thresholds and cited frequent requests for motel assistance.
Councilmembers asked about price caps, unit mixes and how down-payment assistance is funded. Akers and other housing-team members said developer contributions to a local fund are voluntary and not city funds. Akers pointed to the North Canton Cottage Village as an opportunity for attainable workforce housing and suggested the city consider allowing residential uses on some city-owned parcels, including the former Tippen School site.
No formal council action was taken at the presentation; councilmembers said they will discuss cottage-village and other housing details further at an upcoming retreat.
