City plans locally funded roundabout at Birch and South Boulevard; staff to hold neighborhood meetings

City staff described a locally funded plan to install a two‑lane roundabout at Birch Street and South Boulevard during the Jan. 20 council work session. John Knowles, identified in the presentation as the city engineer, said the roundabout is intended to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow at an intersection that gets busy at peak times.

Knowles outlined design tradeoffs: the roundabout may reduce nearby on‑street parking, will include a mountable interior circle to accommodate large or parade vehicles, and could change local turning patterns (some left turns will be restricted for safety and flow). "It's a change in traffic to the point we'd like to have this in a public meeting held at a venue close to the area," Knowles said, adding that staff expects the project is far enough along to answer public questions but still early enough to change design elements based on feedback.

Councilors asked about driveway and parking impacts for adjacent businesses and about how the roundabout would affect access from nearby 5th and 6th Streets; staff said they will follow up individually with adjacent property owners and schedule a public meeting in the neighborhood. Staff noted the roundabout is programmed in the city's capital improvement plan (locally funded), and they proposed construction timing to avoid overlap with other nearby construction.

Next steps: staff will schedule neighborhood outreach and public meetings, coordinate with property owners about parking impacts, and return design changes for review after community input.