Chris Ryer announced today he will be stepping down this year as director of Baltimore’s Planning Department after six years in the cabinet-level post.

Ryer last week told staff he will be retiring, leaving his position in the early fall.

“From modernizing our zoning code to spearheading innovative sustainability initiatives, Chris leaves behind a legacy that will benefit generations of Baltimore residents,” Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement about Ryer’s retirement.

His departure gives Scott, as he begins his second term, two key vacancies to fill to carry out his administration’s policies on land use and development.

Colin Tarbert, president and CEO of the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC), will step down on June 13.

Tarbert’s departure from the quasi-public agency, which serves as the city’s economic development arm, was announced last February.

The BDC’s board said it will form a search committee to help find Tarbert’s replacement. Sources told The Brew that Otis Rolley, a former planning director who recently relocated to Baltimore, was an early favorite of the mayor’s office for the position.

Shut Out of Harborplace

Ryer was appointed by Mayor Catherine Pugh to the director’s position in 2019 after a 12-year stint leading the Southeast Community Development Corporation.

Earlier in his career, he worked as a community planner for the city, and went on to serve (mostly under Rolley) as deputy planning director from 2002 to 2006.

With an annual budget of $12 million and a staff of about 50, he was charged with managing the physical development of the city, reviewing land use proposals, developing comprehensive zoning, pursuing equity analysis and sustainable development, and preserving the city’s architectural past.

“I want to stimulate investment in Baltimore’s neighborhoods,” Ryer said when he accepted the position. “I want to improve the quality of life, particularly in the affordable neighborhoods.”

In his statement, Scott lauded Ryer for, among other things, updating the city’s comprehensive plan, developing a citywide response to food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and “advancing cutting-edge sustainability and food policy initiatives.”

When it came to the department’s core mission – planning – Ryer was largely shut out of the process, with critics saying that many decisions about future development were driven more by business interests and political alliances than planning principles.

The department, for instance, had little involvement in one of the most controversial projects in years – the removal of all height restrictions at Baltimore’s Harborplace in order to make way for apartment towers and a new retail and office complex at the water’s edge by developer David Bramble.

After unveiling Bramble’s plan, Scott disclosed that he had worked quietly behind the scenes to secure approval with the help of the BDC and the city law department.

“I’ve been known to keep secrets,” he said, explaining that “from the first day I got into office,” hiding his fast-tracking of Bramble’s project was “the hardest one that I had to keep.”

Scott’s office today said that Ryer will continue to serve until his successor is appointed.

In accordance with the City Charter, the Planning Commission will develop a list of candidates for the mayor’s consideration and the selected candidate must then be confirmed by the City Council.