Council reviews traffic plan for new Cherokee High School site; county seeks Lee Street abandonment for courthouse parking
May 21, 2026 | Canton City, Cherokee County, Georgia
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City officials briefed the Canton Mayor and Council on May 21 about traffic planning tied to Cherokee High School’s new campus and related neighborhood impacts, and the council discussed a separate county request to abandon a section of Lee Street to support expanded courthouse parking.
A city speaker (identified in the transcript as Mr. Peppers) reviewed existing traffic-control responsibility (city vs. state signals) and mapped multiple campus access points. Staff relayed transportation counts provided by the school: 178 car riders (morning arrivals cited as students, not strictly vehicles), roughly 250 employee drivers and about 580 student drivers; Teasley Middle School counts were also provided. Staff described bus routing, internal queueing at the new campus (internal stacking close to a half‑mile in the plan), and estimated lane queue capacity using a 20‑foot buffer guideline. The city has contracted Practical Design Partners to recommend an arc cut at the high‑school entrance and has submitted a request to GDOT for a protected left at the Reinhardt College Parkway signal to reduce a bottleneck.
Staff explained that traffic-signal warrants depend on pedestrian counts and that the city has not yet compiled that data; police will monitor traffic the first weeks of school. Presenter noted the high cost of new signals ("about a million dollars a piece" per the transcript) and said an arc cut and internal queueing appeared the preferred near-term option.
Separately, council discussed a Cherokee County request to abandon the rear portion of Lee Street so the county can plan contiguous parking behind North Street retail adjacent to the courthouse. Councilors discussed partial abandonment, retaining easements for utilities, converting the front portion to one way, and asking the county to add sidewalk and address stormwater and detention as part of their work. The county would be responsible for design, construction and stormwater on the abandoned portion; council will consider the formal abandonment at a future meeting.
The school board also plans to surplus the old Cherokee High School main campus, pursue appraisals and clear FF&E in phases, and expects to seek bids to sell the property in spring 2027; reopening a renovated elementary on the historic campus is slated for August 2028, with rezoning required for most private uses of the site.
A city speaker (identified in the transcript as Mr. Peppers) reviewed existing traffic-control responsibility (city vs. state signals) and mapped multiple campus access points. Staff relayed transportation counts provided by the school: 178 car riders (morning arrivals cited as students, not strictly vehicles), roughly 250 employee drivers and about 580 student drivers; Teasley Middle School counts were also provided. Staff described bus routing, internal queueing at the new campus (internal stacking close to a half‑mile in the plan), and estimated lane queue capacity using a 20‑foot buffer guideline. The city has contracted Practical Design Partners to recommend an arc cut at the high‑school entrance and has submitted a request to GDOT for a protected left at the Reinhardt College Parkway signal to reduce a bottleneck.
Staff explained that traffic-signal warrants depend on pedestrian counts and that the city has not yet compiled that data; police will monitor traffic the first weeks of school. Presenter noted the high cost of new signals ("about a million dollars a piece" per the transcript) and said an arc cut and internal queueing appeared the preferred near-term option.
Separately, council discussed a Cherokee County request to abandon the rear portion of Lee Street so the county can plan contiguous parking behind North Street retail adjacent to the courthouse. Councilors discussed partial abandonment, retaining easements for utilities, converting the front portion to one way, and asking the county to add sidewalk and address stormwater and detention as part of their work. The county would be responsible for design, construction and stormwater on the abandoned portion; council will consider the formal abandonment at a future meeting.
The school board also plans to surplus the old Cherokee High School main campus, pursue appraisals and clear FF&E in phases, and expects to seek bids to sell the property in spring 2027; reopening a renovated elementary on the historic campus is slated for August 2028, with rezoning required for most private uses of the site.
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