Comprehensive Plan|HISTORY AND CHARACTER

PRESERVE AND ENHANCE SENSE OF PLACE AND HISTORIC CHARACTER

Communities that craft a vision and set standards for development and construction will encourage the development of exceptional places with a variety of housing choices and modes of transportation. The environment created from such standards will strengthen and reinforce the sense of community among residents and businesses. The preservation of historic, rural and cultural resources is critical to enhancing the places that are unique to Cherokee County, Ball Ground and Waleska.

The protection of historic resources is accomplished on the local level with its inclusion in historic preservation planning, growth strategies, and comprehensive planning. Historic preservation helps to maintain the quality of life within a community while instilling a sense of pride and the familiarity of place. Recognition of significant historic structures encourages their continued use and upkeep. Federal and state programs also provide incentives for renovation and rehabilitation of local historic properties.

Currently historic, archaeological and rural resources in Cherokee County have very little protection. There are National Historic Districts in Ball Ground and Canton that encompass some of their historic downtown areas. Aside from the Historical Society, there is no centralized public or quasi-public organization to support or encourage preservation on a larger scale. Other individuals throughout the county have worked independently to nominate properties to the National Register or to restore individual properties.

Preservation of significant historic resources should become an integral part of land use planning. As such, historic resources should be recorded, mapped, and evaluated in existing land use inventories, and their desirability for preservation should be determined. The Cherokee County Historical Society is very active in collecting information on historic properties within the County. The Historical Society periodically updates their historic structures survey for the county. This work shows the potential for enlarging the historic district in Canton and possibly nominating a district in Woodstock. Emphasis has been placed on both rural resources and the historic core of the cities, including the conversion of historic buildings for adaptive reuse.

For related policies, implementation strategies and more information on historic character and sense of place, please click here.