Mayor outlines housing, zoning changes and roundabout planning; praises staff and local awards

WORCESTER, Jan. 6, 2025 — In his opening communications at the first regular City Council meeting of 2025, Mayor (name not specified) reviewed recent activity and laid out priorities and projects the administration plans to bring to council this year, including zoning code revisions aimed at encouraging residential reinvestment, planning for a roundabout at Old Man/Winkler/Burbank, and monitoring a possible redevelopment of the Cornerstone school site that depends on a May bond issue by the school district.

The mayor apologized for running long and for the recent snowfall, then recounted recent events: a ribbon cutting for a new TriWay facility that serves the broader county workforce; a countywide swearing-in for public officials; and the CRA Housing Council review of local redevelopment agreements. He described an orientation for boards and commissions, and noted that Bush Community Hospital won recognition for “fastest door-to-needle time” in the OSU hospital network.

On housing and zoning the mayor said the administration will bring “proposed revisions to the zoning code to provide more flexibility in residential areas to encourage new investment,” adding that the changes would apply across residential districts and likely have the greatest impact in older neighborhoods surrounding downtown. He stressed the council’s role in deciding any proposed changes and said the goal is to support reinvestment in older neighborhood stock.

On the planned roundabout at Old Man/Winkler/Burbank the mayor said the administration will schedule a committee meeting within two months to present the project in detail, although construction likely will not begin until 2026 or 2027. He said the administration plans to bring legislation in the summer to authorize rights-of-way acquisition and that council will decide whether to proceed, delay or take other action. The mayor asked council to consider timing and community concerns, saying: “We think we have a traffic problem there and we also believe that we have a solution.” He said the administration will arrange presentations that include fire and safety, school officials and other stakeholders.

On the Cornerstone site he explained that if a school bond passes in May, the district would vacate about 40% of the site as early as 2028 and that roughly 60% including the Cornerstone building would be available for redevelopment. The mayor said any reuse would aim to “add value to both the neighborhood and the community as a whole” and that the administration will not act until after the school bond vote.

The mayor closed by noting several local recognitions and sharing an officer-acclaim story: he described Officer Timko’s Christmas Eve effort to help a distraught customer recover $800 in gift cards, work that led to an internal acclaim award. “This was indeed a Christmas miracle,” he said, praising the officer’s work.

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