MEDIA ADVISORY

Cherokee County is Encouraged to Vote “Yes” For Canton West

WHAT: Canton West offers the City of Canton and Cherokee County a unique opportunity for reasonable, sensible, sustainable and well-planned growth. The plan for this mixed use development includes:

• 3,200 residential units including single family homes, townhomes and condos
  
  
• 449,100 square feet of retail space
  
  
• 149,700 square feet of office space
  
  
• Prices of the residential units will range from the $100,000’s to the $800,000’s
  
  
• A 7 mile parkway from Hwy 20 to Hwy 108
  
  
• A new regional water and sewer treatment plant to serve the entire development and surrounding area
  
  
• Land will be donated to the Cherokee County School Board for a new, 1,200 student state-of-the-art elementary school. In addition, Canton West will contribute over $1.2 million dollars towards the purchase of additional school sites to serve the children of the area
  
  
• Land will be donated to the City of Canton for a new City Park as well as a new Public Safety facility

WHO: PEC Development Group (PEC) has worked for more than 2 ½ years creating the vision for Canton West. Local officials, planning teams, state agencies and PEC have all worked together to ensure that Canton West is planned properly and in the best interest of all parties, including the constituents of the region. To date, the project has been approved by the Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, Canton Planning Staff and the Canton Planning Commission.

WHEN: The Canton City Council will consider the annexation and rezoning request at its meeting on Thursday, August 21 at 6 p.m. at Canton City Hall.

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:

Paul E. Corley, Jr., Chief Executive Officer

Todd A. Hager, President

To set up interviews:

Carol Flammer at 770-383-3360 x20 or 404-626-1978
Carol@flammerpr.com

Amanda Winters: 770-383-3360 x27
Amanda@flammerpr.com

# # #

BACKGROUND: There are some people within the community that are concerned about the growth associated with Canton West. Cherokee County’s own growth and impact study projects that over the next 25 years the population in the county will increase by 200,000 people creating the need for 89,000 new households! PEC realized this need when they first purchased the Canton West property several years ago. PEC believes that through collaborative, long-range planning a neighborhood like Canton West can provide a long term solution for accommodating the future growth associated with the areas vibrant economy. PEC believes that long term planning in a master planned setting is far superior to providing numerous, fragmented, smaller subdivisions without any plan to address the cumulative impact of the projects.

In the three weeks leading up to the Canton City Councils vote, there has been quite a bit of misinformation published about the Canton West project in attempt to rally opposition to the project. Following are the facts as they relate to Canton West:

• Fact: Canton West will be built over a 15 to 20 year period and any impacts to roads, schools or infrastructure will happen gradually. If Canton West is not approved and replaced by numerous smaller projects over the next 15 years these impacts will certainly be much greater due to the lack of a cohesive plan.
  
  
• Fact: Canton West will provide a four-lane divided median parkway connecting State Highway 5 to State Highway 108 at no cost to current residents. This parkway connector will bring much needed relief to the congestion of State Highways 140 and 20 and is the last and only opportunity for an East-West connector in Northwest Cherokee County.
  
  
• Fact: Canton West will donate land to the Cherokee County School Board for a new, 1,200 student state-of-the-art elementary school. In addition, Canton West will contribute over $1.2 million dollars towards the purchase of additional school sites to serve the children of the area.
  
  
• Fact: Canton West will donate land to the City of Canton for a new City Park.
  
  
• Fact: Canton West will donate five acres of land to the City of Canton for a new Public Safety facility.
  
  
• Fact: Canton West will construct, at it’s expense, all of the sewer and water infrastructure including the installation of new water tanks to serve the development
  
  
• Fact: PEC will take a significant role in a new Regional Sewer Facility eliminating the need for septic tanks not only within Canton West, but also the remainder of western Cherokee County. The elimination of septic tanks in the Etowah watershed is critical to maintaining water quality in Lake Altoona.
  
  
• Fact: Canton West will provide approximately $25,000,000 in tax revenue for the City of Canton over the 20 year build out of the community and $2.5 million annually thereafter.
  
  
• Fact: Canton West will provide approximately $147,000,000 in tax revenue for Cherokee County over the 20 year build out of the community and $10 million annually thereafter.
  
  
• Fact: Canton West will provide over $11,000,000 in impact fees to the City of Canton for future and existing public facilities, roads and parks in addition to the direct donation of land mentioned above.
  
  
• Fact: Canton West will provide over $10,000,000 in user fees and over $3,000,000 in connection fees to the City of Canton’s water and sewer fund through 2029 enabling the expansion of facilities to serve Canton West.

PEC is most excited about the opportunity Canton West provides for planned growth, and they believe it will serve as a model for future projects throughout the state. Canton can choose whether they want to plan for growth or let growth plan the city. Do they want to encourage developers like PEC to take time to do it the right way. . . .or not?