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Delaware County hires American Structure Point to begin 14‑month zoning overhaul
Summary
The county's planning commission selected American Structure Point to lead a countywide comprehensive zoning ordinance update (a unified development ordinance), with a July 6 kickoff and an estimated 14‑month timeline; most consultant fees will be reimbursed with federal planning funds.
Kylene Swackhammer, speaking for the Planning Commission, told the council the county has chosen American Structure Point to assist with a full rewrite of the comprehensive zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations.
The project will kick off on July 6 and is expected to take about 12–16 months (the office estimated roughly 14 months). Swackhammer said the consultant will be on site for stakeholder meetings and will hold sessions for elected officials and the public. She emphasized the process will require broad community input and multiple public meetings.
Funding: Swackhammer said federal planning funds will reimburse roughly 80% of consultant fees; the remaining 20% has been allocated across participating jurisdictions. The consultant fee share noted in the meeting was $16,892.50 per jurisdiction as a baseline figure.
Council members discussed process details, public hearings, and potential procedural efficiencies such as using hearing officers for minor variance requests. Swackhammer said the consultant reviewed the existing ordinances and BZA/recent cases as part of their initial research and that nonconforming uses would remain legally nonconforming after adoption.
Next steps: contract negotiation with county attorneys is underway; the planning office will schedule public meetings and outreach over the course of the update.
