It seems the City of Canton’s efforts to resolve the neighborhood debate over commercialization of East Main failed at the community level and now lawyers will fight to decide the outcome.
For more background on this story go to Cantonblogger.com
Here is the latest info according to the AJC:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/01/06
A neighborly approach to resolve a dispute over creeping commercialization of Main Street homes in Canton has fallen short. Now, the lawyers get their chance.
"I am disappointed to hear that. I thought everyone was in agreement," said Bill Bryan, vice president of the Historic Canton Homeowners Association.
The association formed last summer to fight the creep of businesses into homes on Main Street. Its members fear the loss of residents and the subsequent slow dissolution of historic homes into offices and shops. Taxes could rise based on commercial use rather than residential, creating a snowball effect and forcing more residents out, they say.
On the other side, supporters of commercialization point out the number of homes on East Main Street that are empty or being rented. Some houses nearer downtown already hold small offices, shops and restaurants. Some advocates believe more businesses could help revitalize downtown.
The two sides squared off recently when Dr. Michael Anderson bought three older houses in the more residential section of East Main Street, with plans to move his practice into them. He believed Canton’s mixed-use zoning allowed it, but neighbors immediately organized to pressure the City Council. They hired Mike Bowers, a former state attorney general, to challenge the legality of the doctor’s plan and limit commercialization in the houses.
East Main Street sprouted into a yard-sign battleground with each one revealing its owner’s sentiments. City Council meetings, normally host to a dozen or so residents, suddenly drew crowds in the hundreds.
That’s when the city called timeout, and Mayor Cecil Pruett stepped in.
By October, Anderson had sold out nearly all his interest in the houses to Southland Landmark Properties, a home builder with interest in other East Main Street properties.
Pruett talked to the new owners and believed they had worked out a compromise. The owners would leave the doctor’s property as residential, and the city would rewrite zoning laws and consider allowing houses closer to downtown to go commercial.
Last week, the city put the proposal into writing and held a public meeting. Residents left the meeting hopeful, but not the new owners.
They say the city’s offer is more restrictive than what Pruett proposed to them verbally.
Tammy Perkins, one of the new owners, said this week that the verbal agreement was to allow other East Main Street conversion as long as they met standards, such as architectural or parking guidelines.
"[The verbal agreement] has been changed to the point that we think it’s worthless," she said.
Unless the revisions are loosened, "then we are going to move forward to put commercial property on [the doctor's site]," she said.
Members of the Canton Historic Neighborhood Association believe allowing the offices would violate zoning laws.
"We are not in negotiations. We are into the enforcement of the law," Bryan said.
