Soo Lee-Cho

Soo Lee-Cho is a leading land use attorney known for her strategic approach to securing development entitlements across Maryland, specializing in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick counties. She represents a wide range of property owners and developers—local and national—in obtaining approvals for zoning changes, site plans, subdivisions, special exceptions, conditional uses, variances, and more. Her advocacy spans appearances before key decision-makers, including the County/City Councils, Board of Appeals and Planning Commissions.

Her clients include major players in multifamily, senior and affordable housing, retail, industrial, education, healthcare, community solar, and financial institutions. Notable names include Quadrangle Development, Avanti Properties Group, MetLife Investment Management, The NRP Group, Miller & Smith, Pleasants Development, Draiman Properties, Exeter Property Group, Classic Homes of Maryland, Bullis School, Holton-Arms School, German International School, Celebree School, Heights School, TurningPoint Energy, Davis Hill Development, Summit Ridge Energy, M&T Bank and Bank of America.

With over 28 years of experience, Ms. Lee-Cho began her career in Los Angeles, focusing on environmental compliance and entitlements for large-scale commercial developments and sports / entertainment venues. She holds degrees from UCLA (B.A.) and Loyola Law School (J.D.).

Representative Experience
- Mixed-Use Development/Wildwood Residential – Assisted the owner and developer, Alvin Aubinoe, Inc., to obtain the necessary approvals for the 3.49 acres of land on Old Georgetown Road. The pathway to approval began with navigating the County’s adoption of the 2017 Rock Spring Sector Plan to ensure that recommendations for the property would facilitate the client’s ultimate vision for its redevelopment and included negotiations with adjacent residential neighbors on building and site design.
- Multi-Family Residential Development/The Avondale – Assisted client, 3 Sons Avalon, through the multiple stages of development for their property on Frederick Road in Clarksburg from rezoning to subdivision/platting. To initiate the development, Soo successfully navigated the project through the Local Map Amendment process obtaining unanimous approval by the County Council. The site layout reflects a mix of traditional and neo-traditional street design to facilitate a pedestrian-friendly design with a central open space available for residents.
- Private Schools / The Bullis School – Represented the Bullis School through the approval of their 2004 Campus Master Plan, an expansion of their property boundaries, and the addition of their almost 59,000 square foot state-of-the-art STEM education building known as Discovery Center. She has also assisted the school with modification of their preliminary plan to meet forest conservation requirements and allow for new parking and playfields on the campus
Professional Affiliations
- Bar Association of Montgomery County
- Maryland State Bar Association
- City of Rockville Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Advisory Committee, Member, 2011
- Rockville Science Center, Board of Trustees, 2009-present
Honors
- Best Lawyers, 2022
- Urban Land Institute – Washington Regional Land Use Leadership Institute, Inaugural Class, 2011-2012

Practice Areas

Education

Bar Admissions

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