news & events

Jody Kline Joins University of Maryland School of Architecture as Guest Lecturer

Posted May 5, 2020 at 2:18 PM

Land Development, News & Events

On the evening of Thursday, April 30, Jody Kline of the Land Use and Zoning Department at Miller, Miller & Canby was a guest speaker / lecturer at a class offered at the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation. The class, titled “Planning Policy, Practice and Politics for Developers” is offered within the University’s Master of Real Estate Development program. Through videoconferencing, Jody spoke to graduate students along with their instructor, Jamey Pratt, a Senior Planner of the Area 3 Team of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in Silver Spring.

Jody began his presentation by explaining how developers of real estate use the services of attorneys during the land development process to secure entitlements throughout a project, from acquisition to implementation. Relying on his more than 45 years of experience in the land use field, Jody discussed how real estate development is highly influenced by area master plans, governing regulations and even the personalities of plan reviewers. He encouraged the students to recognize that the success of their potential future projects would be more determined by how they responded to the challenges of the development review process, rather than what pro forma told them. Each project is unique with its own issues and attention needed to walk through the process. Finally, based on his experience from years in the field, he provided a cautionary tale of realistic time constraints that can either make or break a real estate development project.

Jody Kline has been a principal at Miller, Miller & Canby since 1981 and co-chairs the Land Development practice group with attorney Soo Lee-Cho. The practice group has been honored with a national “Tier 1” ranking in US News & World Report Best Law Firms.

Jody Kline concentrates his practice on land use, zoning and subdivision law in Montgomery County and he has represented clients in many of the County’s planning and economic development initiatives. His areas of expertise include zoning, special exception, subdivision, master planning, building permit issuance, and administrative and real estate matters related to land development. He represents private clients, non-profit entities and municipal corporations and agencies. He is a recognized “Super Lawyer,” and U.S. News & World Report “Best Lawyer” in the state of Maryland, as well as a recognized Top Real Estate Lawyer in publications that include Washingtonian and Bethesda Magazine.

To learn more about his practice, contact Jody Kline here; learn more about Miller, Miller & Canby’s Land Development practice by clicking here.