Wooster committee reviews ‘peanut’ roundabout near high school; debate on safety, property takings and moratorium

Barb Kanapik, chair of the Wooster City Council Laws and Ordinances Committee, opened a committee discussion of a proposed “peanut” (elongated single‑lane) roundabout at Burbank Road and Old Man Road near the high school. Committee members, city staff and about two dozen residents and stakeholders reviewed the design, estimated property takings and costs, pedestrian and bus safety, and whether the council could impose a moratorium on the project.

Why it matters: the intersection is adjacent to three schools and heavy weekend soccer activity, and committee members said peak‑hour backups push cars onto nearby streets. Council members and residents debated tradeoffs among congestion relief, student pedestrian safety, impacts on private property and emergency response times.

The plan and status The engineering team reported the design is essentially complete — about 90–95% finished — and construction limits, easements and right‑of‑way lines are defined so the city can begin acquisition. City staff said plans are under review by utility companies and that remaining work is quantities and final bid preparations.

City staff said the design minimizes private takings by shifting the alignment across several iterations. Staff reported 15 parcels would be impacted in some way, including a county parcel; of the private parcels, staff said roughly 14 homeowners are affected (some owners hold multiple small parcels). The largest single takings effect would be on a county parcel adjacent to a soccer field; the county has indicated it will allow the city to extend parking on county land and asked that any parking spaces removed from the soccer field be replaced at the city’s expense.

Costs and funding Staff gave several approximate cost figures during the discussion. Replacing parking…