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CANTON

COMPREHENSIVE
PLAN
COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS
czb llc., David Boehlke
Community Building Partnership, Joel Owens, Brenda Turner & Maureen
Austin
June, July 2015

Cantons Comp Plan Process


20

member Steering Committee (SC) directs czb consultants

Steering

Committee (SC) worked for 8+ months every other week

Decisions,

trade offs, our values set by Steering Committee, not


consultants

1st

round of meetings last September, October 2014

Robust

web site to keep community informed: https://cantoncomprehensive-plan.squarespace.com

Comp

Plan includes much more than neighborhoods:


transportation, infrastructure, economic development, community
development, zoning, land use, parks, recreation, downtown, sewer
and water-its COMPREHENSIVE & STRATEGIC

FAIR, SMART, BALANCED

Comprehensive Plan
A general direction setting tool for communities.

A strong comprehensive plan is..

Community-Driven

Grounded in Reality

Built to be flexible

Settlement

@ Risk Familes

DATA DRIVEN

Tax Delinquencies

Owner Standards

Market Strength

Population Density

COMPETITIVE, DIVERSE, RIGHT SIZED

Community Assets

Schools + Churches

Comp Plan Future Steps


This Draft Plan will remain open for comments through July 2015
The PLANNING COMMISSION will review and likely hold additional
hearings before approving and passing onto City Council
The CITY COUNCIL will review and approve if acceptable: likely
after additional opportunities for comment
Stay Up-to date on activities on the Comprehensive
Planinformationsite:
General Plan information site:http
://canton-comprehensive-plan.squarespace.com
.

Content of todays meeting


Update

on planning activities since


community meetings last fall
Review of Plans Core Strategies &
Elements
Your Opportunity to Clarify, Question and
Answer, Comment

Your Input Will Make A


Difference

The Numbers Are Serious


- 2800 vacant houses
- Loss of too many middle class households
- Unprecedented numbers of families in poverty
- Limited tax base but high service demand
- Too much infrastructure serving fewer people
- Too few employment opportunities

FOCUS: Too many vacant


houses

FOCUS: Too Many Families


Are Struggling
1

in 4 families live in poverty

in 3 families are classified as low income

Canton

houses more than twice its share of the


countys poor individuals and families that have few
choices.
By 2012, the poverty rate reached 30.8%. A
poverty rate of 20% is considered high and a
poverty rate of 40% is considered extreme.
Among 755 metropolitan areas in the country
with at least 50,000 residents, Canton has the

COMPETITION
Ongoing competition makes it difficult to attract
new owners and strong renters; Competition makes
it difficult to grow and add new businesses and jobs .

Repositioning Canton to Compete


Protect

key assets: the hospitals, downtown, Hall of Fame


Village and adjoining neighborhoods

Manage

excess property and land

Encourage
Develop
Bring

new commercial activity

strategies to engage more residents and volunteers

corporate sector in as full partner

Commit

to sound zoning, codes, and infrastructure

Rethink

provision of services: parks, police, schools

Three Core Strategies


Protect,

Grow, Connect Citys Core

Assets
Repurpose Vacant Land with a focus on
Quality of Life
Maintain and Stabilize the Citys
Neighborhoods through strategic
intervention and community organizing

FOCUSED, ASSET-ORIENTED,

Downtown
Grow, Protect & Connect

Downtown
Grow, Protect & Connect

Grow &
Connect
Key Asset
Job Creator

Grow &
Connect
Key Asset
Job Creator

Protect &
Connect
Key Asset
Employer
Regional

Protect &
Connect
Key Asset
Employer
Regional

Connect
& Protect
Other
Assets
Divides Downtown
from Mercy and
HOF Village

Connect & Protect Other


Assets

FOCUS ON QUALITY OF LIFE


*conserve and
reposition

Clean and Green then Repurpose

Clean and Green and Grow

Clean and Green and Grow

Land Assembly

Clean and Green and Repurpose


and Grow

Clean and Green and Repurpose


and Grow

Clean and Green and Beautify

Clean and Green and Expand

AREAS THAT ARE WORKING


WELL

maintain

Landscape Contest Winners in West Park

Neighborhood Pride in Vassar


Park

Residents and Art in The


Boulevards

Addressing Problem Houses:


Case Study

Addressing Problem Houses

Addressing Problem Houses

Canton Proud

Canton Proud

Canton Proud

Canton Proud

Canton Proud

Canton Proud

Canton Proud

Encourage Commercial
Investment

Encourage Commercial
Development

Engage more residents and


volunteers

Engage more residents and


volunteers

Engage more residents and


volunteers

Engage more residents and


volunteers

More Ways to Reposition


Canton
Expand

the role of corporations

Rethink

zoning, codes, parks and

Rethink

provision of services

services

Break for Questions

Shared Responsibility
Institutions and
Citizens, Associations
and Volunteers
non profits
Successful
Plan
Businesses and
City Government
Corporations

Success=Shared Responsibility
Rethinking

about what can and cannot be done by local


government and where capacity must be expanded.

Coordinating

the work of the foundations, educational and


religious institutions, and community nonprofits to
strengthen Canton

Creating

new ways in which corporations can partner and


invest in Canton

Developing

innovative ways for citizens to be included in


the decision-making and the work of neighborhood
stabilization

What will it take to make this


work?
The city must add a planning office to
coordinate city government work, to
support the mayor and the city council in
carrying out the comprehensive plan and
to solicit new federal, state and other
resources

What else will it take?


Canton needs a significant community
organization that gives the residents a much
larger voice, that oversees the neighborhood
initiatives, and that provides direct services like
home purchase counseling, organizing self-help
efforts, promoting community gardens, farms, and
nurseries, etc.

And One More Step


The community must develop a public-private
partnership to carry out critical development
projects such as land acquisition, assistance to
existing businesses to expand and outreach to
new businesses, and to promote the city and
the region

What will it take to make this


work?
The

Planning Office
The Community-Driven
Nonprofit
The Public-Private
Development Corporation

Confidence in Our City


Choice
Competition
Conditions
Capacity
Community

100 YEARS AGO THIS YEAR.

Were Planning On a Better


Canton!

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