Residential Neighborhoods

Recommendation 4

RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS

North Canton is a city of neighborhoods. The size, age, and character of the housing stock varies from neighborhood to neighborhood. According to a 2021 survey of community residents, 93% of respondents enjoy the neighborhood where they live. This level of resident satisfaction is something to celebrate!

HIGHLIGHT DISTINCT NEIGHBORHOOD IDENTITIES

The identities of different North Canton neighborhoods can be highlighted through signage, public art and distinctive neighborhood names. This will enhance market demand and pride of place. Neighborhood identity signage, gateway treatments, and small-scale beautification efforts can help to evoke a sense of place for residents, describing the relationship a neighborhood has with its history, and with residents’ memories and personal experiences. A neighborhood name creates a sense of belonging, provided that the name has authentic roots in the community or is derived through a community process. Some neighborhood names in North Canton to highlight include: • Hoover Homes, including a historic district designation with plaques and signage • Portage Corridor, a main route into the city that could be accentuated with identity signage, banners, and public art • The Sanctuary, a newer development in the city with a distinctive style. • Orchard Acres, which harkens back to the areas earlier agricultural history • College Estates, which builds on connections with Walsh University

The city could also develop an annual community pride awards program for residents who have gone the extra mile in their beautification efforts. This could be led by the marketing and special events coordinator, if the city establishes this position. Residents could nominate their own properties or their neighbors’ properties. There could be awards for curb appeal, best restoration/ maintenance of a historic property, best landscaping, best holiday decorations, and most beautiful street. The winners could be showcased at an annual awards program. And the North Canton beautiful house of the month featured on the city’s website.

EXPAND HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES

Additional housing options will help to ensure that North Canton remains a familiar and comfortable place to live for long-time residents and a community of choice for new households. Planning for multi-generational neighborhoods where there’s a place and a housing option for anyone who wants to call North Canton home. North Canton is ranked seventh best retirement community in the State of Ohio, though not by intention. People move to the city and stay. The longevity of many residents gives the North Canton its stability. The city essentially functions as a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC). A NORC is a community that wasn’t expressly built for older adults but now has a large population of seniors who have stayed in their homes as they aged. To support an aging population the city, the YMCA, and organizations like Direction Home can expand their services and activities to help older adults thrive. Although seniors tend to generate less taxable income than younger households, older residents offer stability and a deep commitment to the community. The city and local nonprofit organizations can coordinate a broad range of health and social services to help support older residents in their own homes. Older residents should have opportunities to participate in the design, implementation, and prioritization of services and activities. Programs in naturally occurring retirement communities operate through multi-disciplinary partnerships, including a mix of public and private entities. At the core of each partnership are social service and health care providers, housing managers, neighborhood associations, and most importantly, the community’s older residents. These core partners connect to many other stakeholders in a community—typically local businesses; civic, religious, and cultural institutions; public and private funders; and local police and other public safety agencies. By harnessing these resources for a common interest, NORC programs help to transform North Canton into an even better place to grow older. AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) has developed eight domains of livability to help people successfully age in place. These include housing alternatives and retrofits designed to accommodate people’s changing needs as they age; parks and public spaces designed to be inclusive of older adults; transportation alternatives, including pedestrianfriendly districts where people can safely walk; and programs that allow people of all ages to remain connected to their community. The eight domains (shown on the following page) can be incorporated into public and private investments throughout the city. Attracting younger families and young professionals can help to invigorate the housing market and generate revenue through higher taxable incomes. The school system is a point of pride for North Canton and with major investments in new school buildings underway, it is an ideal time to market housing in the community to families with children in the school district who live outside of city limits. All of the new school buildings are being built within city limits. 27 buses and 500 cars bring students from outside the city every day. A targeted marketing effort aimed at the immediate neighborhoods around school buildings could attract families

8 DOMAINS OF LIVABILITY Designed to support the needs of aging populations. (AARP, 2020)

NORTH CANTON MIDDLE SCHOOL Site is a potential opportunity for future residential development.

ARROWHEAD GOLF COURSE Site is a potential opportunity for future residential development.

interested in living within walking distance of their child’s school. This could include parents who work from home and might appreciate the convenience of having their children nearby. Former school buildings could be adaptively reused for housing or could be demolished to allow for new residential construction. The site of the current middle school is discussed as a potential location for future residential development in the previous section. In total, the school district may demolish or decommission four existing buildings within the city of North Canton, including the middle school, early childhood center, an elementary school, and an intermediate school. Combined or individually, these sites represent a potential opportunity to create new housing in the city. A market study that looks at potential demand for new housing could help to shape future opportunities for these sites. In addition to former school sites, the city’s Arrowhead Country Club could become a residential development opportunity in the future. Although Arrowhead remains profitable, if usage declines. The 105-acre site could be considered for residential development. In a community like North Canton where available lots are scarce, a large footprint like

a golf course presents a major development opportunity. However, plans for redeveloping golf courses into housing sometimes run into opposition from adjacent residents concerned that new development will eliminate their views and lower property values. In addition to attracting families in the school district to move into the city, there could also be a marketing campaign to promote the opportunities for young families to move to North Canton to live near aging parents and grandparents. Members of the Millennial generation make up a large percentage of current home buyers. Many Millennials put off home purchases due to the Great Recession and lingering student loan debts. Millennials now represent the largest demographic group in the US and many are in their prime home buying years. The city could consider homebuyer incentives for owner-occupants and purchase/rehab programs to help first-time homebuyers customize their homes to their preferences. The city could also consider zoning revisions in some neighborhoods to allow for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). An ADU is a second small housing unit on the same site as a single-family home. It could be an apartment over the garage or a small unit on a foundation in the backyard. An ADU cannot be bought or sold separately. The owner of the ADU is the owner of the main home.

ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS Examples of attached (left) and detached (right) accessory dwelling units

ADUs are appealing to younger home buyers because they can rent the unit to generate income that helps with mortgage payments. ADUs also provide flexible space for people who work from home or have a home-based business. They can also be used as a nearby but separate unit for an aging parent, or a young adult child. North Canton has several neighborhoods with small lots and no garages. These neighborhoods could be marketed to young professionals who are looking for affordable options and don’t need a lot of square footage. Purchase/rehab loans and subsidized design assistance for updates could help these neighborhoods attract new home buyers. Alternatively, the city and the CIC could use land banking policies to acquire and consolidate a group of small-lot homes and market the site to prospective developers for townhouse development. This might be challenging, since the city has few vacant homes and land assembly is difficult when existing owners or renters need to be relocated. Also, housing in North Canton retains its value, so land assembly is likely to be expensive. Lastly, in order to gauge developer interest, the city would need to have site control, but it would be risky for the city to assemble a site without knowing for certain that there is developer interest.

Action Steps for Strengthening Neighborhoods

Highlight Neighborhood Identities • Make a map showing the names of city neighborhoods. Invite residents to add the names they use for their neighborhoods or historic neighborhood names. • Work with residents to develop signage, public art, and gateway treatments that reinforce the identity of their neighborhoods • Develop an annual neighborhood pride awards program. Expand Housing Opportunities • Build on health and social services already available in the community, and organize additional supports needed to enable older adults to age in place. • Create a Community Action Plan and join AARP’s Network of Age Friendly

Communities. • Work with local real estate agents to market North Canton neighborhoods to young homebuyers and young families, and to better understand what these potential homebuyers are looking for. • Enlist the aid of city residents in informally marketing the community to their adult children and grandchildren. • Work with local banks to develop a purchase/rehab loan program, if such programs do not already exist. • Consider zoning changes to allow accessory dwelling units. • Consider land acquisition and site assembly for a townhouse development on a block with small lots and no garages.