WESTPORT — Mary Young, after more than two decades with the town’s Planning and Zoning Department — and the agency’s director for the last eight years — is stepping down, and will be replaced by Michelle Perillie, the deputy director.

Young will retire from the post effective this Friday, Oct. 4, according to an announcement Thursday by First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker.

Young, who was promoted to the director’s post in 2016 by then-First Selectman Jim Marpe, was the department’s deputy director at the time. She joined Westport’s staff in 2002 after working for the Greenwich P&Z Department.

“It has been an immense honor and privilege to serve the residents of Westport since 2002,” Young said in a statement. “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. When you love what you do, it hardly feels like work, and I truly cherished my time here.

“Land-use decision-making is inherently a collaborative process, and Westport is fortunate to have residents who are dedicated to volunteering their time for the greater good and shaping a brighter future. I have been blessed to collaborate with countless unsung heroes who tirelessly advocate for transparency and meaningful change,” she added.

Perillie, Westport’s deputy P&Z director since January 2021, has worked for the department more than 20 years.

She became a licensed professional planner as qualified by the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2006. She was qualified in 2020 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be a certified floodplain manager.

“We are incredibly grateful for Mary’s unwavering dedication throughout her tenure, which has greatly contributed to the growth and development of Westport,” Tooker said in announcing Young’s retirement.

Perillie, Tooker added, “has excelled in a variety of roles, and steadily advanced within the department … I am excited to see her lead the department with the same professionalism and expertise that she has always demonstrated.”

Amanda Trianovich, the P&Z Department’s town planner who has been with the agency since 2019, has been named Perillie’s replacement as deputy director.