City of Akron, Department of Planning and Urban Development

166 S. High Street, Room 401

Akron, Ohio  44308

Phone:  (330) 375-2770

Fax:      (330) 375-2387

E-mail:  Woolfwa@ci.akron.oh.us

 

 

Warren L.  Woolford

Planning Director

 

 

Warren L. Woolford was appointed Planning Director for the City of Akron in June of 1993.  He also serves on the Mayor’s Cabinet.  In the position of Planning Director, he directs the City’s capital improvement program, long term planning, housing and community development programs, and property and land development.  Mr. Woolford also serves on the Mayor’s Economic Development Coordinating Committee.

 

Mr. Woolford’s appointment to the position of Planning Director is the culmination of a twenty-year career serving the City of Akron in various capacities in Planning.  The City he serves was founded in 1825 and incorporated as a city in 1836.  Akron is located in the industrial midwest of the United States of America, and lies 35 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio.  The fifth largest city in the state of Ohio, Akron covers 63 square miles and has a population of 223,019.

 

Long known as the rubber capital of the world, today few tires are produced in Akron.  The influence of the rubber industry remains a significant force in Akron with a shift in emphasis from production to research and development. Goodyear Tire and Rubber, A. Schulman, and GenCorp have international headquarters in Akron.  Bridgestone/Firestone has research and development facilities here, and Lockheed Martin has a substantial electronic operation in Akron.  The plastics and polymer industry is an emerging force in the Akron area profile. Polymer research is centered in the area at the University of Akron, and at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.  Akron has developed a diversified industrial structure that is not wholly dependent on any one segment of the economy.

 

Warren Woolford holds a bachelor’s degree from Coppin State College in Baltimore, Maryland, and a master’s degree in geography from the University of Akron, Akron, Ohio.