Our Vision: Rooted in Resilience, Growing Stronger
Canton envisions a vibrant, resilient community that honors its history and heritage while embracing new opportunities. Looking ahead, Canton will grow as a welcoming, and sustainable town—where revitalized neighborhoods, a thriving downtown, and the historic mill district form a connected civic heart for residents and visitors. The Town will prioritize walkable streets, diverse housing, and local businesses that reflect its character and support its population. Canton will also invest in and promote the well being of its natural environment of streams, rivers, and green spaces, upgrading infrastructure and protections to ensure these assets remain important parts of the community for decades to come.
About the Plans
What is a Comprehensive Plan
1. A comprehensive plan is a long-range plan that comprehensively addresses the future growth and development of a community. It identifies the vision and goals of citizens to establish more effective policies and provide direction for the use of public funds and priorities.
2.This plan will focus on the next 25-year period and will look at the relationships between land uses, infrastructure, and key community services and amenities. As a broad, long range planning tool, the Comprehensive Plan will guide growth and address community needs and priorities through a series of objectives, strategies, and goals.
3. The Comprehensive Plan is the blueprint for the actions of a community. It presents a vision for the future and establishes a strategic framework over a 20 to 25-year horizon. By setting long-range goals and objectives, the Comprehensive Plan guides, advocates and supports all municipal activities that affect the local government. This includes guidance for city staff, the Planning Commission, and the City Council on a day-to-day basis and shall direct Gastonia’s long-term policies.
What is a Zoning Development Ordinance
1. A Zoning Development Ordinance consists of the legal documents for zoning and subdivision regulations. These provide the standards and procedures that determine how land can be used, developed, and designed — from building use, placement ,and parking to landscaping, signage, and environmental protections.
2. The Zoning Development Ordinance enables local development to implement the community’s vision, promotes consistent and predictable decision-making, and lays out the development process. By updating the multiple regulations and aligning their frameworks, Zoning helps protect community character, support economic investment, enhance sustainability, and improve the overall quality and livability of the community.
Why are these Plans Important for Canton
1. Together, the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning upgrades will give Canton a clear roadmap for growth, recovery, and reinvestment. The Comprehensive Plan will set the long-term vision — identifying where and how the town should grow, protect natural areas, strengthen downtown, and support residents and businesses. The updated Zoning will provide the tools to make that vision real by updating zoning, development standards, and design guidelines to reflect Canton’s current goals and new realities after recent floods and mill site changes.
2. These two plans are essential for building a more resilient and vibrant future for Canton. They will:
a. Guide smart redevelopment of key sites like downtown and the mill property.
b. Reduce flood risk and improve infrastructure through better land-use standards and green infrastructure.
c. Encourage diverse housing options that fit within the town’s character.
d. Support local businesses and investment by offering clarity and predictability in the development process.
e. Protect the natural and small-town character that residents value while planning for future opportunities.
f. Together, the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning will help Canton move from recovery toward long-term resilience and prosperity — creating a safer, stronger, and more connected community.
The Process
Description of Process:
1. The Comprehensive Plan, Zoning and Future Land Use Plan will be created over a period of 12 months using an iterative community-based process that includes:
a. An Advisory Group that is the eyes and ears of the community.
b. Meetings with key Stakeholders such as economic development, public works, parks and recreation, utilities, business owners, and business groups.
c. Several Community Meetings to get your input over the course of the process.
d. Drafting the Comprehensive Plan, Zoning and Future Land Use Map.
e. Reviews conducted by the Town.
f. Adoption by the Board of Alderman.
2. The community (you!) are essential to the process. We need your input along the way so that the plans, ordinance, and map establish a coherent and shared community vision for how Canton will grow into the future.
Timeline
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Be Involved!
Schedule of Public Workshops
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Notices of Public Workshops
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Workshop Materials
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Updates
Workshop recaps
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