Jon M Laria

Practice Areas

Jon M. Laria represents owners, developers, investors, and lenders in all types of commercial real estate transactions, including development, finance, acquisition, and leasing. Jon also has a leading land use, zoning, and entitlements practice and has provided counsel for some of Baltimore's most prominent development projects. Before becoming an attorney, he was employed by a major Baltimore-based developer, where he engaged in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions. Jon is a member of Ballard Spahr's Senior Leadership Team, and he served as Baltimore Office Managing Partner for over a decade.

Jon served on the Transition Teams for Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Comptroller Bill Henry and, most recently, as the Community Development and Smart Growth Workgroup Chair for Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s transition.

He serves as Chair of the Baltimore Regional Transit Commission (BRTC), to which he was appointed by Governor Moore. The BRTC oversees the Maryland Transit Administration and advocates for transit in the Baltimore region. He was also appointed by the Governor to the Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs, whose charge is to review, evaluate, and make recommendations on the prioritization and funding of Maryland transportation projects. Jon previously served as a member of the Baltimore Transit Funding and Governance Workgroup, which recommended to the Governor and General Assembly a restructuring of Greater Baltimore’s transit system.

In Baltimore, Jon chaired the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Commission, promoting bicycling and other forms of micromobility as a safe and convenient form of transportation and recreation, and coordinating City agency implementation of the City's Bicycle Master Plan. He previously served as a mayoral appointee on Baltimore's Tax Policy Task Force and on a group that developed a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the City. Jon is now serving on the City’s Tax Credit Workgroup, which will review and recommend necessary changes to development tax credits and other incentives in the city.

Jon also co-chaired the Mayor's Safe Art Space Task Force, charged with recommending to the mayor ways to develop and sustain spaces that protect the safety of artists and patrons while meeting the logistical and technical needs of artists and audiences. Jon was appointed by the Baltimore City Health Commissioner to the Task Force on Drug Treatment Access and Neighborhood Relations, whose purpose was to facilitate the siting of necessary treatment facilities without causing undue burdens on local communities.

In Baltimore County, Jon served on the Blue Ribbon Commission on Ethics and Accountability, charged with reviewing county ethics laws and regulations. The Commission's recommendations have been enacted as amendments to county charter and code.

Jon was the founding Chair of the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission, the successor to the State's Task Force on the Future for Growth and Development, which he also chaired. Created and enacted by the Maryland General Assembly, the Commission was charged with assessing and advising on the progress of state, regional, and local planning in achieving Maryland's economic growth, resource protection, and planning policy.

Jon also served as a member of the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission, a joint commission appointed by the Maryland House Speaker and Senate President to examine the State's economic development structure and incentive programs, and to make recommendations to keep Maryland competitive in economic and private sector growth and prosperity. Jon also co-chaired the Housing and Community Development Transition Team for former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and served on the governor's Transition Steering Committee.

Nationally, Jon serves on the Futures Council for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a panel of thought leaders who advise the Conservancy on its efforts to develop hiking and biking trails across the country, including the planned Greenway Trail Network in Baltimore.

Jon is a founder of the Baltimore Development Workgroup, an affinity group of development professionals who work on real estate development issues and business climate in the City of Baltimore, and co-chaired the Partnership for Building Reuse, a joint project of the Urban Land Institute and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to maximize the productive re-use of existing buildings. He was the Chair of the Baltimore City Chapter of the Maryland Building Industry Association (MBIA), a trade organization with more than 1,300 member firms.

Jon serves as an officer or member of many civic boards and organizations, including the Greater Baltimore Committee, a pre-eminent regional business organization, where he co-chairs the Baltimore's Transit Future Steering Committee. He is vice-chair of Healthy Neighborhoods, Inc., a board member of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, and a board member of Associated Jewish Charities, Inc., which oversees the real estate and financial assets of the Associated. He previously served as president of Live Baltimore, a nonprofit whose principal mission is the attraction of residents to Baltimore.

Career

Admissions: District of Columbia, Maryland

Professional Memberships

Maryland Building Industry Association (MBIA), Chair of the Baltimore City Chapter

American Bar Association

District of Columbia Bar Association

Maryland Bar Association

Bar Association of Baltimore City

Urban Land Institute, full member

International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)

Johns Hopkins University, past faculty member, Master's in Real Estate program

Maryland's continuing legal education program, past instructor, "Advanced Real Estate Transactions"

Ballard Spahr's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council

Personal

University of Maryland School of Law (J.D. 1992, with honors)

Articles Editor, Maryland Law Review

Johns Hopkins University (B.A. 1985)