You have many great native trees to choose from. 
Red Maples like are beautiful, and if that is your favorite, go for it. (There are other varieties of Acer rubrum other than 
'October Glory' available too. )
Shade trees like oaks(think if you want to deal with acorns), maples and black gum (Nyssa Sylvatica) can become pretty large over time (offering nice shade), and they tend to live for a longer time than smaller native trees. 

Some beautiful, smaller trees to consider which also have multiple season interest  are flowering crabapples and dogwoods (look for varieties bred with some disease resistance - these trees feed songbirds too), sweetbay magnolia, fringetree or serviceberry (but don't be surprised if they sometimes get minor leaf diseases so they might not look 'perfect'- which isn't to be expected from native plants). 

The Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources has a program to encourage the planting of native trees that offers a $25 off coupon on certain trees from participating nurseries:
https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/pages/marylandersplanttrees/introduction.aspx
and here is their list of recommended trees from which to choose:
https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/Pages/MarylandersPlantTrees/Recommended-Tree-List.aspx

Generally, you want to plan for the spacing- for instance, find the mature width (leafy canopy), and cut it in half for the distance it should be from your foundation. (You didn't mention how far the sidewalk is from the planting spot).Be aware of underground and overhead utilities too.
Here is our page on planting trees: 
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/planting-tree-or-shrub/
and keeping them watered when needed for the first couple of years of establishment is key to long-term success: 
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/watering-trees-and-shrubs/


Christine

Hi Christine- thank you so much for your thoughtful response. We definitely want to plant something that is helpful for the environment and would love to plant an oak but I think the space is too small and too close to the sidewalk/driveway. (Attaching a pic here in case you know of a variety that could fit in the space where the small Japanese maple is)

Hi Elizabeth, 

Blackgum tress can be really nice specimen shade trees. There are some different cultivars you could look into and they are not as widely planted as red maples but still get nice bright red fall color. A personal favorite is Nyssa sylvatica 'Wild fire' because the leaves emerge in the spring more with a red tinge before fading. It should be about 10 feet away from the sidewalk or driveway to be able to thrive. 

Sugar maple would probably struggle in the that location. Maples in general have shallow roots and sugar maples don't love the heat and humidity in central Maryland and with climate change and our summers trending hotter it may not be a great tree choice. They are also very sensitive to salt damage so if there is ever ice melt used on the pavement they could suffer from that. 

A few other shade tree choices that are less common and have wildlife and pollinator value and could work in that location: 

• Cladrastis kentukea - Yellowwood
• Celtis occidentalis - Hackberry 
• Carpinus caroliniana - American hornbeam (there area a few common names for this tree, not to be confused with Hophornbeam, Ironwood or Muscle wood)

Let us know if you have further questions. 

Emily

Thank you so much- this has been so helpful!