The owner of a house at 100 Cherokee Street asked Canton City Council on Nov. 6 to rezone a 0.692‑acre parcel from R‑20 (single‑family residential) to CBD (Central Business District) to operate a neighborhood restaurant that staff described as largely pickup and takeout.

Planning staff member Mister Green described the property, noted two requested variances — one to encroach into an existing stream buffer and another to retain a gravel parking surface — and said the lot has previously been used for nonresidential purposes, including a church. The staff summary said the current comprehensive‑plan character is "historic traditional neighborhood" and listed compatible uses including medium‑density residential, traditional neighborhood development and small‑scale commercial uses.

Applicant spokesperson Fiorella Soto said the owner intends a pickup‑focused restaurant serving Guatemalan food and is willing to work with city planning on necessary permits and to harden the parking surface if required. "The owner is... willing to put a parking lot of either asphalt or cement instead of what the gravel is there now," Soto said, adding the owner expects to follow permit and historic‑district requirements.

Council members asked about operational details. Miss McGrew asked whether a grease trap would be required; Mister Green said a grease trap would be required for a restaurant. Several members questioned whether gravel parking is suitable for expected traffic and noted staff recommended a concrete apron at the entrance to prevent gravel migration. A council member asked whether food trucks would be a permanent fixture; the applicant’s email said the owner wanted to park food trucks as a regular use, but staff noted that permanent on‑site food‑truck use typically requires a temporary‑use permit or different zoning authorization.

Some council members expressed concern about rezoning one parcel in a primarily residential block to CBD, citing potential precedent and traffic impacts rising from nearby development. "If we put this into the CBD, where does that stop then?" one council member asked, noting contiguous land uses are a factor in zoning decisions.

There was no vote on the rezoning request Nov. 6; staff said any approvals would be conditioned on required permits and any code changes to parking, buffer or noise provisions. The council asked staff to provide more details on parking capacity, whether the food truck would be mobile for events, and proximity to other downtown commercial uses before considering final action.