BALTIMORE, MD (Thursday, April 24, 2025) - Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced the retirement of Baltimore City Planning Director Chris Ryer. Director Ryer's retirement comes after a distinguished 40-year career in community planning and development, including six years leading the Department of Planning.

"Director Ryer's planning expertise and leadership have been instrumental in creating a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous Baltimore," said Mayor Scott. "His deep understanding of our neighborhoods and commitment to community-led planning have helped transform how we approach urban development in Baltimore. From modernizing our zoning code to spearheading innovative sustainability initiatives, Chris leaves behind a legacy that will benefit generations of Baltimore residents."

"Being a community planner in the Baltimore Planning Department was the best job I ever had," said Director Ryer. "The ability to work directly with Baltimore's citizens in their own neighborhoods is a dream job."

Ryer's journey with Baltimore began decades ago when he moved back from California to be closer to family and enrolled in the University of Maryland's Master of Community Planning program. Although the Planning Department initially wasn't taking interns, Ryer convinced them to make an exception, which led to his first assignment with a neighborhood planner in Northwest Baltimore.

Over the course of his career, Ryer developed a deep understanding of Baltimore's unique planning challenges. Rather than focusing on managing growth like suburban counties, he recognized Baltimore's need for thoughtful strategies to address neighborhood stabilization and revitalization. Early in his career, he learned the importance of community engagement in the church basements of Little Italy, where he witnessed firsthand how passionate residents could be about development decisions affecting their neighborhoods.

During his tenure as Director, Ryer built on Baltimore's community planning tradition, begun under legendary Baltimore Planning Director Larry Reich in the 1960s, to establish a comprehensive community development strategy in partnership with the Department of Housing and Community Development. Under Mayor Scott's leadership, Ryer focused on embedding equity throughout the Department's work, ensuring community planners became leaders in engaging residents traditionally left out of planning processes.

Major accomplishments under Ryer's leadership include:

• Completing an equity-focused Comprehensive Plan that proposes new transparency in zoning and land use decisions
• Guiding Harborplace's redevelopment master plan, replacing aging pavilions with four mixed-use buildings and creating a climate-resilient waterfront promenade for future generations
• Developing a rapid city-wide response to food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, managing over $38 million in emergency food distribution contracts
• Transforming the capital budget process to better reflect community priorities
• Creating the Neighborhood and Sustainability SubCabinets to coordinate cross-agency initiatives and community partnerships
• Establishing the Clean Corps program to help disinvested communities recover from pandemic-related challenges
• Implementing the Baltimore Green Network Plan to create and maintain green spaces in neighborhoods experiencing population decline
• Advancing cutting-edge sustainability and food policy initiatives that have positioned Baltimore as a national leader in these areas

"From the outset, Chris understood that good planning is not only essential to a city's built environment, but also to economic and community development in the broadest sense," said Jon M. Laria, Chair of the Planning Commission. "People and businesses thrive in a city that is thoughtfully planned, and Chris and his outstanding colleagues in the Planning Department are responsible for creating and nurturing a comprehensive framework that will fuel Baltimore's growth. The Planning Commission looks forward to identifying for Mayor Scott a visionary leader who will help fulfill the Mayor's commitment to create a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous Baltimore."

"Director Ryer's inclusive leadership transformed how Baltimore engages with planning," said Eric Stephenson, Vice Chair of the Planning Commission. "The launch of the Planning Academy- where my own involvement began- has empowered residents across the city to advocate for their neighborhoods. Under his tenure, equity became a guiding principle through the department's equity analysis, and impactful programs like Clean Corps are addressing long-standing issues like neighborhood cleanliness for the first time in decades."

"In a position where saying 'no' is often the path of least resistance, Chris Ryer consistently sought the more challenging road of 'how do we get to yes?,'" said Justin Williams, Deputy Mayor for Community and Economic Development. "I've had the unique perspective of working with Chris from both sides of the table- in private practice as a land use attorney and now as Deputy Mayor who sits on the Planning Commission. His exceptional talent for balancing aspirational planning ideals with development realities has advanced Baltimore's built environment through pragmatic collaboration rather than rigid regulation. The Planning Director must make difficult choices about projects and funding that inevitably disappoint some stakeholders, yet Chris has navigated these challenges with integrity and foresight. His ability to connect dots and see around corners has made him an invaluable advisor. As someone who also began his career in a junior role in city government before returning to serve in the Mayor's cabinet, I deeply appreciate Chris's unwavering commitment to thoughtful public service."

Ryer will continue to serve until his successor is appointed. In accordance with the Baltimore City Charter, the Planning Commission will develop a list of candidates for the Mayor's consideration. The selected candidate must then be confirmed by the City Council.