Loudoun B&D Director Wharton Steps Down After More Than Two Decades

At the end of the month, Terrance D. Wharton, the man who has served as director of Loudoun’s Department of Building and Development since its inception in 1991, will step down.

Loudoun County Administrator Tim Hemstreet made the announcement last week and named Mike Seigfried, the assistant director, as interim director while the county conducts a nationwide search for Wharton’s replacement.

Before taking the job as director of the department, Wharton, a retired U.S. Army colonel, served as the county engineer and then the director of engineering. Wharton started working for the Loudoun County Government in 1984, after 26 years in the army. 

As director, Wharton oversaw all phases of new land development in the county, including the approval of subdivision plans, construction plans, site plans, building plans, all construction-related inspections, final occupancy inspections, as well as the issuance of county building, zoning, and grading permits. The department also has watched over construction sites to ensure compliance with Loudoun’s Erosion and Sediment Control Enforcement Program, enforces zoning rules, and manages public improvements, proffers and water resources.

“Terry’s service to the county has been extraordinary,” Hemstreet said in a prepared statement. “His tenure as Director of Building and Development coincided with a period of tremendous growth in the county. He has protected the safety and welfare of our citizens through enforcement of best engineering practices and statewide building codes during design and construction. He has also enhanced our citizens’ quality of life developing, administering, and enforcing the county Zoning Ordinance and construction-related codified ordinances.”

Wharton has served on the Board of Directors of the Engineers and Surveyors Institute and is a member of the Soil and Water Conservation Society.

The county will conduct a nationwide search for Wharton’s replacement.