Canton prepares for growth, prosperous future

Jun. 21—CANTON — As Canton leaders eye their future, they see one peppered with increased growth.

Pressure from burgeoning Buncombe County, along with the new realities of a post-COVID world, are making scenic small town communities an increasingly attractive place to live.

Canton is preparing for that growth with a proposed land-use plan put together by Asheville consultant WithersRavenel.

There will be a public hearing on the proposal at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the town's new, temporary offices at 85 Summer St.

Mayor Zeb Smathers said the plan comes at a very important moment in the town's history where it is experiencing unprecedented growth.

A century ago, Canton was the largest and most prosperous town in Haywood thanks to its thriving paper mill. That prosperity diminished through the years and now the town's population has shrunk from about 11,000 at one time to an estimated 4,600, which is up about 400 since the 1990 census.

Smathers, who just hit age 40, still remembers the last vestiges of the thriving mill years. His grandfather had a downtown grocery store, there was a five and dime on Main Street and every storefront downtown was filled.

"I saw the end of that era in the late '70s and early '80s before that Canton ceased to exist," Smathers said.

For 20 years, Canton was a contracting community, and talk of growth was a dream, but not something was was necessarily being planned for.

That changed about a decade ago, Smathers said, when governing board members decided to take unprecedented steps to encourage businesses to relocate in Canton and focus on amenities that may entice new residents to the community, particularly recreation.

"Now we have a Main Street full of business and opportunity," Smathers said, crediting the small business owners who saw potential in the community. "Places like Canton were written off and told to shut down, but we didn't."

Now that businesses and residents are increasingly eyeing the community as a desirable place to live and do business, it's important to ensure that the inevitable growth barreling toward the community does so in a way that maintains the very essence of the town, Smathers said.

"We are committed to not forgetting who we are and to growing in a way that doesn't take us away from a mill town," Smathers said. "What makes Canton and East Haywood special is the paper mill, our public schools, our people, our traditions, our cultures and our love of the outdoors. Those are what have kept us uniquely Canton."

Public engagement

Town contracted with WithersRavenel to prepare a draft land use plan, specifying public engagement was key to crafting the perfect document that would set parameters and allow flexibility when deciding the best way for the town to grow in a responsible manner.

"We had a lot of public engagement on this," Smathers said. "This plan is based not on what we want for the town, but on what our citizens want."

More than 200 residents returned surveys sent out early in the process that helped set the course for the planning document. In addition, several public discussions and workshops were well-attended by community members.

Smathers said he has not heard any pushback on the proposal, one he said is very fluid and allows a lot of reasonable room to discuss matters.

"At least its a blueprint to focus on the more important issues that come with growth," Smathers said. "I've said over and over, it always about infrastructure and safety, but this has room for talk about recreation, economic development and ways we can keep our mill town character."

The document is available for review on the Canton website. It will be the topic of a public hearing and plenty of discussion before the plan is ultimately adopted, Smathers said, encouraging people to weigh in on the topic.