ARC presents P Ridge small-area plan focused on preservation and attainable housing

The Canton mayor and council heard a presentation June 18 from the Atlanta Regional Commission on a draft small-area plan for the P Ridge neighborhood, a multi-jurisdictional area split between Canton and unincorporated Cherokee County. "My name is Jillian Porter Willis, and I'm a senior planner at the Atlanta Regional Commission," Willis said, describing a year of engagement, three steering-committee meetings and two open houses that informed the plan.

The plan centers on two pillars: historic preservation and housing affordability. Willis told the council the ARC engagement confirmed those priorities and surfaced additional community needs, including transportation infrastructure (sidewalks, street lights, intersection safety), small-scale neighborhood commerce and more accessible, multilingual information about planning, zoning and permitting. Willis said residents preferred single-family housing and expressed interest in accessory dwelling units; the community also called for rehabilitation assistance and down-payment programs to help current residents remain in place.

The presentation named four assets the community wants protected: the Hickory Log Cemetery (located at the Cherokee High School site), the Ralph Bunch Center, the Keith Plantation (behind the Riverstone Parkway Walmart) and two heritage trees near the Pine Grove/Pe intersection. Willis recommended pursuing heritage-tree designation and continued access to historic sites. She also noted microtransit service in parts of the county is underused and that residents need better information about how to access it.

Council members and staff praised the outreach and said the study helps clarify next steps. Several council members raised annexation as an option to allow Canton to invest directly in service gaps inside the pocket that currently lies in unincorporated Cherokee County. "There's been an appetite on the part of many folks…to at some point someday find a path to annexing Pidge into the city of Canton," one councilmember said during the discussion.

ARC staff said the organization’s direct assistance ends with the project wrap-up, and further action would depend on county and city choices: continue to collaborate, pursue specific funding or consider annexation. The council did not take formal action on annexation at the meeting; staff said the county is holding a public hearing on the plan in July and that Canton staff will continue to review the draft report and return with recommendations.

Next steps: city staff and council members will review the plan in more detail, coordinate with Cherokee County and community partners, and consider whether to pursue zoning changes, preservation designations or annexation to address service and investment gaps identified during outreach.