Wooster council holds first reading on Weaver Custom Homes planned development on Burbank Road

The Wooster City Council on May 19 held a first reading on an ordinance to rezone land on the west side of Burbank Road to Planned Development for a mixed residential project proposed by Weaver Custom Homes.

The change would reclassify parcels currently zoned R-1 and R-4 to PD to allow a mix of single-family detached and attached housing, a clubhouse and a pool; the planning commission voted unanimously to recommend approval at its May 1 meeting. The council left the measure on first reading for further review and said a final development plan must be submitted to planning staff and the planning commission before construction could proceed.

Resident Lynn Frye told the council her mother lives adjacent to one of the proposed entrances and that traffic backup from the nearby public-safety campus already blocks egress from her driveway. "My biggest concern is I feel like they should have an alternate, exit egress, in and out, whatever you wanna call it because the fire department, the police department being there gets very, full of traffic backed up," Frye said at the podium.

Developer representative Cliff Stutzman described the project as a higher-density response to current housing demand and said the development is intended to provide "resort-style living" with shared amenities. "We need to save farmland, so we need higher densities," Stutzman said, arguing the project would add housing choices near parks, schools and downtown amenities.

Council members and staff discussed how the site sits within an existing north-end tax-increment financing (TIF) zone. Staff explained the TIF structure would use incremental tax revenue generated by property owners to fund public improvements within the zone and could speed recovery of public investments already planned for the area. Council also discussed design standards: the PD process allows certain facade and density deviations that would otherwise be required under R-3 fallback zoning.

Council members said the project will return for additional administrative review. If council approves the rezoning after the required readings and hearings, the developer must submit a final development plan documenting the proposed deviations and infrastructure plans for planning commission review and administrative sign-off.

The hearing closed after members said they had no further questions; council kept the ordinance on first reading so additional detail and comments — including from the absent council member who sponsored the legislation — can be considered at later meetings.