Canton City Council opened a public hearing on Jan. 2 on CUP2410‑005, a conditional use permit application to construct 208 fee‑simple (for‑sale) townhomes on property along Misty Way and Misty Court, adjacent to State Route 20.

City staff presented the application. "This is a conditional use permit application," planning staff said, and noted the site is currently zoned RM‑15 (residential multifamily) and that the parcel could theoretically accommodate a higher number of units under existing zoning. Applicant counsel said the proposal would replace underutilized duplexes with for‑sale townhomes and emphasized the product is intended to encourage homeownership rather than rental housing.

The city’s planner and the applicant described site constraints and regulatory issues. Staff noted the proposed unit count would require two points of ingress/egress under the city’s standards and that the project must meet applicable fire‑code requirements; the applicant said one solution could be an interparcel emergency access easement with the neighboring school and that "we will, of course, comply with the fire code." The applicant also referenced the city's comprehensive plan language supporting denser housing types in appropriate locations.

Resident Thomas Weaver spoke in opposition, saying the four parcels bordering the proposed development are controlled by other governmental entities—the Cherokee County School District, the Cherokee County Building Authority, the state of Georgia and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—and warned that the city could not unilaterally rely on improvements to those parcels or circumvent code requirements. "I would invite council to apply a sincere level of strict scrutiny," Weaver said, and suggested the council consider whether a reduced unit count could allow a single entrance.

Council members pressed staff and the applicant on several points: whether the school easement would qualify as a permanent entrance, how many duplexes could currently be developed without council approval, and the timeline for Georgia Department of Transportation improvements on State Route 20. Staff estimated the parcel could accommodate roughly 150–160 units as duplexes under current zoning and said GDOT roadway improvements were not on a confirmed short timeline.

The public hearing was closed for council questions; no vote on CUP2410‑005 was taken during the meeting. Council requested follow‑up information on previous conditions from the 2022 application, the status of the school easement language, and likely price points for the proposed units.

What happens next: the council did not make a final decision at the Jan. 2 meeting; staff will provide additional information requested by council and the item will return for formal action at a later meeting.