Canton buying former Arby's next to the Canton Civic Memorial Center

• Canton City Council on Monday agreed to purchase the former Arby’s property at 1125 Market Ave, N for up to $600,000.
• City leaders say acquiring the property will provide some needed space to the north of the civic center and allow the city to eventually renovate and expand its bathrooms.
• Two council members questioned why the administration could take quick action on certain downtown project, but projects in the neighborhoods seem to take years to develop.

CANTON − Canton is moving ahead with purchasing the former Arby’s restaurant next to the Canton Memorial Civic Center.

Canton City Council on Monday agreed to purchase the former Arby’s property at 1125 Market Avenue N for up to $600,000, using money generated by the 0.5% income tax increase that city voters approved in 2018.

The purchase amount mirrors the county auditor’s current appraised value for the 0.55-acre property and building, which has sat vacant since Arby’s left in August 2022. Scott Holding Co. of Indiana has owned the property since 2018, county property records show.

Mayor William V. Sherer said he doubts the city could buy the property for a lower price. Sherer said acquiring the property will provide some needed space to the north of the civic center and allow the city to eventually renovate and expand its bathrooms and make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A needs assessment of the civic center recommends doubling the size of the northside restrooms by expanding them into the parking lot. Sherer said the city also is talking with ArtsinStark and Stark County commissioners about possibly taking ownership of the properties where the civic center and the parking lots now sit.

Council in November approved spending $2.5 million in federal pandemic relief funds to make the necessary repairs to keep the 73-year-old sports and entertainment facility fully functioning. The project, which is expected to be completed next year, will upgrade the civic center’s sound, lighting, plumbing, heating and air conditioning system, and power systems.

No council member on Monday opposed the purchase of the former Arby’s, but Ward 9 Councilman Frank Morris III and Ward 4 Councilwoman Chris Smith questioned why it seemed the administration could take quick action on certain downtown projects such as the civic center, but projects in the neighborhoods seem to take years to develop.

“It just takes so long to get things done for our residents in our neighborhoods,” Smith said. “I just wish we could speed things up a little bit.”

Sherer and Service Director John Highman assured council members that neighborhood projects, including projects identified under the mayor's neighborhood improvement initiative, are taking shape.

Reach Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.