Here’s the Top Candidates To Lead Chicago Planning Department

Top candidates to lead a Chicago agency that makes key decisions on development proposals under newly elected Mayor Brandon Johnson have been revealed as he continues to fill out his administration.

The real estate community is pushing for Rich Klawiter, an influential real estate and finance attorney at DLA Piper who has steered some of the largest projects through City Hall in the last decade, Crain’s reported. Another strong prospect in some people’s eyes is Teresa Córdova, an urban planning professor and ex-chair of the Chicago Plan Commission under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Real estate players are hoping that the selection of either candidate, especially Klawiter, would help bolster a more business-friendly environment in Chicago and allow for an easier zoning process. Much of the industry was concerned that Johnson’s progressive policies would hinder development projects and create excessive taxation when he was elected in April.

Jason Lee, a senior advisor to Johnson, acknowledged the support Klawiter and Córdova have received, but the administration has yet to make a decision and hasn’t ruled out the current commissioner, Maurice Cox, keeping the position.

“(Klawiter) has, from what I can gather, a lot of experience doing different types of transactions. So that’s certainly a relevant skill set,” Lee told the outlet. “There are other skill sets that are also important. Some people come into the position with planning backgrounds, more from an academic perspective, or just more from a government perspective.”

As an attorney and lobbyist, Klawiter has helped push forward a number of high-profile projects, such as Sterling Bay’s Lincoln Yards megadevelopment. He also has relationships with developers such as Related Midwest, The Onni Group, Shapack Development and Clayco, among others.

Córdova, meanwhile, is a member of Johnson’s Economic Vitality & Equity transition subcommittee. As chair of the Chicago Plan Commission, which reviews large projects in the city, she defied recommendations by Cox and the Planning Department to approve projects she believed in.

Córdova and Cox once squabbled over a proposed Amazon distribution center in Bridgeport in regards to the city’s regulations concerning where logistics facilities are located throughout the city. Córdova, in her opposition to the project’s location despite Cox’s support, urged officials to not bury their “head in the sand,” pointing out that land use changes “have created high-priced properties on the North Side” and removed industrial sites from elsewhere.

— Quinn Donoghue