There will be a change this year in the City of Pella’s Planning and Zoning Department.

Director George Wesselhoft is leaving his position June 30th after 16 years with the city. Wesselhoft tells KNIA/KRLS News he’s taking a planning position in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“I became interested in this opportunity in Lincoln because it’s a joint agency — it’s both city and county, and I have experience and both,” he says. “It’s a larger department there in Lincoln, they have close to 20 staff, so I’ll be joining a larger team of planners.”

There are a few projects that stick out to Wesselhoft as some of his favorites to work on, which reflect the uniqueness of Pella, he says.

“The two favorite projects of mine would be the 28E agreement with Marion County that we worked on–that was early on in the early 2000s which established the two-mile zoning…and then also working with the CDC over the years on the three additions of the design manual for the Dutch architecture,” he says.

Wesselhoft thanked the community for their support of Planning and Zoning projects during his tenure.

The city plans to advertise his position soon, with City Administrator Mike Nardini covering most duties as the interim Planning and Zoning Director until a replacement is likely hired late this fall. Nardini plans to consult with city boards during the search.