Baltimore City Department of Planning e-News January 2018
LAI Baltimore Member Sean Davis New Planning Commission Chairman
Where are you from and what brought you to Baltimore?
I was born in Westfield, NJ and grew up largely in Warren, New Jersey until high school when I moved to Houston, TX — the land of no zoning.
When I was finishing up college at Texas Tech, a great friend from Lubbock, Texas who had moved to Baltimore invited me for a visit over Spring Break – I immediately loved Baltimore and decided to move up shortly thereafter. My wife Donna and I never plan to leave!
What do you look forward to the most about your new role as Chair of the Planning Commission?
The opportunity to work with a great team at the Department of Planning. When I speak with Tom, Laurie, and Stephanie (DOP Executive leadership), I hear their passion for Baltimore and when the Commission hears a presentation from staff – you know they are as passionate about Baltimore as we are.
I am also really excited about the diversity of representation we have on our Planning Commission. There are a lot of new faces, including me, and there is broad representation from the business, non-profit and institutional communities. The Mayor pulled together a great group to help guide planning in Baltimore for years to come.
What recent development projects in Baltimore have inspired you?
All of them! It is wonderful to see so many companies and people investing in our city. From the large projects such as Harbor East, Harbor Point, and Port Covington to the small – but incredibly powerful projects – like the Motor House, City Arts 2, and Open Works, it proves to me that Baltimore is clearly on everyone’s radar.
I must provide a personal shout out to Fred Lazarus, the past President of MICA. Under President Lazarus’s leadership MICA stepped over an imaginary line on North Avenue and invested in several institutional projects east of I-83.
20 years from today, how do you envision Baltimore?
Stronger, vibrant, more diverse, complete, growing, energetic, hip, foodie, young and old, historic, Smalltimore: the example of how things get done right.