Baltimore City has a new Real Estate czar.
Comptroller Bill Henry announced that Eric A. Evans has been named director of the city’s Department of Real Estate, part of the comptroller’s office in City Hall.
The real estate director’s position is a largely behind-the-scenes role that is influential in the most high-profile transactions involving city-owned buildings and land. Examples include the recently-amended ground lease for Harborplace; the pending sale of 18 city-owned properties once known as the “Superblock” on the west side of downtown; and the sale of the former Lake Clifton High School property on Saint Lo Drive to Morgan State University, which plans a $1 billion “innovation park” at the site.
Evans, 56, has worked in Baltimore’s real estate and development sectors for more than two decades, overseeing dozens of multi-million-dollar development projects in the city. He most recently served as Real Estate Development Project Manager for Telesis Corporation, managing affordable housing development projects from acquisition through construction.
“Eric’s extensive network, knowledge and history in local real estate provides a powerful cornerstone for our Department of Real Estate,” Henry said in a statement. “He knows how this industry works from both sides of the public-private divide, and how to leverage resources to run an efficient and effective office.”
Before working at Telesis, Evans operated his own real estate consulting firm, Eric Evans & Company LLC, for more than 15 years. In this capacity he supported clients and a real estate project portfolio valued at more than $800 million. Key clients included the Central Baltimore Partnership; Baltimore Corps; Ernst Valery Investment Corporation; the North Avenue Market, and the Homewood Community Partners Initiative.
Evans began his Baltimore career as a Project Manager and Special Assistant for the East Baltimore Development, Inc. (EBDI), managing infrastructure improvements for the $1.2 billion neighborhood redevelopment project north of the Johns Hopkins medical campus. Evans’ EBDI projects included $75 million worth of infrastructure improvements in connection with the Science & Technology Park at Johns Hopkins.
A New York City native, Evans holds an MBA and a law degree from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University. He started his professional career as a tax associate for PricewaterhouseCoopers. He currently lives in Mount Vernon with his wife and their Schnauzer named Gracie.
“I love this city, and my appreciation has only grown over the two decades that I’ve worked here in the local development sector,” Evans said in a statement. “This opportunity is about building a better Baltimore through the Comptroller’s Office and the Department of Real Estate.”
Evans is replacing Andy Frank, who left this month to pursue a new career opportunity. Evans will begin his job as the city’s real estate director on June 12.
This is a very positive development for Baltimore City.