ThisWeek CW 01/23/2013
Planning and Zoning Administrator Andrew Dutton will be leaving Canal Winchester for a new position with the city of Wooster at the end of the month.
Dutton has served Canal Winchester for the past 10 years, helping the village transition to a city, overseeing several major projects, particularly along Gender Road, as well as working on updates to planning districts and zoning codes.
“I’ve been here 10 years now and that’s afforded me a lot of opportunities to advance my abilities and this has been a great place to work,” Dutton said.
“My wife and I are both from up there, though, and want to be closer to our families, so the new position with Wooster makes that possible.”
As a student at Ohio State University, Dutton began an internship with the city in 2002 and was hired on as the city’s zoning officer in 2004.
According to CW Development Director Lucas Haire, Dutton’s contributions to the rewriting of the city’s zoning code and overhaul of regulations has been key to making these documents more straight forward and user friendly.
“This will pay dividends in the future as property owners look to improve their buildings and developers look to redevelop sites in the area,” Haire said.
“He also led the changes to the zoning code for our commercial development standards and the CEDA standards as a joint effort with Violet Township.
“I can say our zoning code is the most up-to-date and relevant that it has ever been thanks to Andrew’s efforts,” Haire said.
The city intends to hire a replacement and, according to Haire, hopes to have that person in place by the end of March.
In the interim, Haire will serve as the acting planning administrator alongside his normal development duties.
The planning administrator serves as the zoning official for the city and issues all zoning and land-use permits, as well as acting as a code enforcement officer, Haire said.
“Andrew also led the creation and maintenance of our Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping program for the city,” Haire said.
“This includes keeping up-to-date maps for all utilities, site plans, corporate boundaries, etc. and is something we use every day,” Haire said. “This system is very useful and we have Andrew to thank for that.”
Any replacement for Dutton will continue to be responsible for the GIS system as well, he said.
Haire said city staff will work closely with Dutton over the coming weeks to prepare for a smooth transition.
“There will be no change in the level of service we offer,” Haire said.
“I wish Andrew and his family well as he takes on this new opportunity,” he said.
“He’s been a great professional for the city and the work he’s completed will help us for years to come.”