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Mayor outlines housing, zoning overhaul, annexation and roundabout plans in State of the City
Summary
At its March 3 meeting the mayor delivered a State of the City emphasizing housing growth, a comprehensive zoning code revision, voluntary annexation supported by TIF infrastructure funding, and major transportation projects including a preferred elongated roundabout at the long‑congested Oak Hill intersection.
Wooster’s mayor delivered a State of the City address at the March 3 council meeting, laying out priorities for 2025 that included housing development, a major revision of the zoning code, voluntary annexation to expand developable land, infrastructure paid in part by tax‑increment financing (TIF), and several large transportation projects.
The mayor said Wooster had 19 major projects awarded in 2024 and listed completed projects including a new Fire Station No. 1, the construction of pickleball courts at Crimson Trump Park, Oak Hill and Milltown road improvements (including roundabouts), a streetscape project on West Thurman Street, and the Butterfly Alley arts project — the first step in a planned downtown arts district anchored by a Lyric Theatre project. The mayor said, "For all those reasons, I believe that now is the time to move forward with that project," when describing the elongated roundabout plan for the long‑studied Oak Hill/Oldman/Winkler/Burbank intersection (the "peanut").
On housing, the mayor said Wooster is trying to address both availability and affordability by encouraging private development rather than building public housing. He cited current activity: 342 units built or under construction, 181 units approved to start construction, and roughly 400 proposed units. The administration convened a steering committee of community members and development professionals in 2024 to propose zoning code revisions; the mayor said the committee will forward recommendations to the planning commission and ultimately to council. The mayor said changes are expected to touch every zoning classification but will likely have the largest impact on the RT district.
The mayor discussed voluntary annexation as a tool to allow denser, more sustainable housing growth. He described the city's use of TIF to pay for infrastructure in growth areas, noting the improvements that opened additional housing capacity in the north Oak Hill area and estimating an additional 400 housing units associated with that TIF district.
Regarding transportation, the mayor said Wooster will start a municipal transit system in response to the loss of county participation in the Stark County SARTA program; he said the new system will initially focus on Wooster and will rely on state and federal funding. He said Kevin has been hired to run the new transit program and that the plan anticipates future expansion to a countywide system.
The mayor also addressed a hospital‑related project called the Kidney Roundabout at Bell, Cleveland Road and Elm Street, saying that project is in very preliminary stages and would come after the peanut project; the hospital board passed a resolution requesting the city move forward with preliminary plans. He described the peanut project as the more immediate priority and urged action while Wake County (county name in transcript) has been cooperative in providing much of the right‑of‑way to minimize impact on neighboring owners.
On a potential land reuse question tied to a school bond, the mayor said the north portion of the Cornerstone school site could revert to the city depending on the bond outcome and that Wooster Group has been discussed as a potential redevelopment partner; he explicitly denied any backroom deal, saying "There is nothing predetermined about what's gonna happen with the site or with buildings on that site."
During miscellaneous public comment, a resident raised concerns that the roundabout would reduce nearby property values and suggested the city consider arbitration or negotiated compensation for owners; the mayor and council recorded the comment but no formal compensation plan was proposed during the meeting. Several councilors offered well wishes for Chief Fisher, the police chief who is recovering from an aneurysm and surgery.
The mayor said zoning code changes will move from the steering committee to the planning commission and then to council, and estimated that final council action on code revisions is more likely toward the end of the year rather than immediately; planning commission and public review remain part of the process.
