Committee approves John Laria to chair Baltimore planning commission after hour-long vetting

John Laria, the mayor’s nominee to chair the Baltimore City Planning Commission, was advanced out of the Legislative Investigations Committee on a 4-0 voice vote after roughly an hour of questioning from council members and the committee chair.

Laria told the committee he moved to Baltimore in 1981 to attend Johns Hopkins and has spent three decades in law practice and civic work in the city. “I came to Baltimore from New York in 1981 … I stayed,” he said, listing prior volunteer and board roles and his work at the law firm Ballard Spahr. Laria said his professional experience focuses “on the built environment,” and that he wants the commission to help the city grow while addressing vacancy, public safety and the budget.

Why it matters: Council members used the hearing to probe how the planning commission’s chair would balance economic development with neighborhood priorities and how the commission should help integrate land use with transit and housing policy. Laria emphasized…