Canton Mayor Bill Grant and the Canton City Council are opposed to state elimination of development moratoriums by local governments.
They voted recently to keep local control over design standards, development fees, zoning regulations and decisions related to development moratoriums “at the level of government closest to the citizens most impacted,” according to a city statement.
“Current legislation circulating at the State Capitol (HB 514 and HB 517) would eliminate local powers related to development and building standards and regulations,” said Canton City Manager Billy Peppers.
“These bills would strip enforcement of decisions made through public processes at the city level in an effort to make homebuilding more profitable and faster for builders. This move for profit and productivity comes at the cost of public health, public safety and citizen input related to the styles and standards of residential projects to be built on neighboring properties,” Peppers added.
Canton Mayor Bill Grant said, “Our citizens rely on their local government to control housing standards, quality of development and the character of our community. House Bills 514 and 517 would undermine the Mayor and Council’s control of maintenance and zoning standards in our city and, therefore, give developers an upper hand.”
The city council will transmit the city resolution to the local delegation and encourage concerned residents to reach out to House and Senate members to voice their opinions on this preemptive legislation.
“It is imperative we send a strong message that local building standards should always be controlled at the local level in partnership with citizens and their elected officials and not by lobbyists representing developers,” Grant added.
City resolution: bit.ly/3Yl6R8g
House Bill 514: bit.ly/3IMWDYQ
House Bill 517: bit.ly/3SM8WZI
