Wooster For Residents
For Residents
Developing the Future | Career, Business, & Home
Whether finding a new home for a major manufacturing firm, working to launch a new company, or even reinvest in rehabilitating a home, the City of Wooster offers the perfect place to live, grow, and thrive. Working with our partners across the City, Wayne County, and the State of Ohio, Wooster offers businesses and residents a unique set of tools to build a prosperous future.
Moving to Wooster
Wooster welcomes you! Our growing City of 27,232 residents (2020 Decennial Count) in the heart of Ohio has been built with
Neighborhoods and Data: GIS Link
Parks and Amenities: Link
Planning and Zoning: Wooster is continually planning for its future. Explore our comprehensive plan (link) to see how our residents are working to recreate our neighborhoods with new infrastructure, amenities, and development. Planning Link
Schools: Wooster residents are served by two excellent school districts dedicated to endowing each young resident with academic achievement and leadership for a successful future.
Wooster City School District
Triway Local School District
Medical: Award-Winning Wooster Community Hospital is a community-owned, full-service, acute care hospital serving Wooster and Wayne County. Recognized ten times as one of the 100 Top Hospitals in the US by PINC AI/Fortune magazine, Wooster Community Hospital offers excellent medical care here at home, allowing families more time together and less time commuting.
Setting up utilities: Link
Programs
Economic development, investing in the future, starts at home. The City of Wooster offers tools designed to help individual homeowners, or those seeking to become homeowners, invest in themselves and build a stronger financial future. Providing real estate tax savings, the Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) program provides opportunities for property owners reinvesting in their one and two-family homes within Wooster's historic neighborhoods. Providing forgivable loans and small grants, the City also works to achieve grants to assist low-income homeowners with emergency repairs through its CHIP Program.
Micro Credential Program
Offered through State of Ohio
The Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP) offers Ohioans an opportunity to earn professional certifications for a wide variety of skills, from information technology specializations such as CompTIA Network+, to basic machining and welding, to web development, Ohio's microcredential program provides advanced training, both online and in-person, to help residents grow their careers. Available through the Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation, IMAP is free of charge to Ohioans who are partially unemployed, totally unemployed, or low-income. IMAP training providers, which includes Ashland University and several online providers, will cover all tuition, fees, and additional costs to help residents learn new skills and earn a credential that can start or expand a career.
MICROCREDENTIAL PROGRAM
Serving All of Wayne County
Wooster's CHIP program offers grants and 100% forgivable loans to help homeowners, landlords, and first-time homebuyers throughout Wooster and Wayne County repair their homes and neighborhoods. CHIP stands for Community Housing Impact and Preservation. The City of Wooster applies for and manages the grant on behalf of the entire county, with help from the Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority. The program is available to moderate-income households. (Select "Access Individual Income Limits Areas") Nearly 300 homes within the City of Wooster have been repaired and brought back up to code, helping families preserve housing opportunities while strengthening the quality and property values of our neighborhoods. CHIP brings back federal tax dollars to support our community and reduces the need for local public assistance by empowering families to invest in their neighborhoods.
WOOSTER CHIP PROGRAM
Tax Exemption for Home Construction
CRA provides property owners in and around Wooster's Downtown area with a 100% tax exemption on the increase in value resulting from home construction projects, including additions, major rehabilitations, and new construction. The program is available to any Wooster homeowner, landlord, or developer working to rehabilitate or even rebuild a single and two-family home within Wooster’s designated Community Reinvestment Area. Properties must legally be classified by the County Auditor as single-family or duplex to qualify. For projects exceeding $2,500.00 in the Downtown area, property owners may receive a 100 percent Tax Abatement for 10 years on the improved value of the home, or 100% for 12 years on new construction projects. (Projects north of Long Road are eligible to receive abatements of 50% for 10 years, or 12 years if LEED certified.) Learn more below.
RESIDENTIAL CRA TAX EXEMPTION PROGRAM
