Warren E. Silver has been involved in real estate, business law and Chicago government for nearly 40 years. In his law practice, Warren represents developers, investors and lenders in all aspects of real estate, including zoning and land use, municipal matters, acquisitions, dispositions and leasing.

Before joining BUPD law, Warren’s practice with Stacey Rubin Silver served their clients for over 15 years, where their experience in government helped their clients navigate the maze of rules, procedures and agencies governing development in the Chicagoland area. Before opening his law practice, Warren served on Mayor Richard M. Daley’s staff, working to develop policy as well as political, legislative and media strategy in transportation, infrastructure and environmental matters. Mr. Silver also served as an Assistant Commissioner in the Department of Aviation, a Deputy Commissioner in the Department of Planning and Development, and Vice-President of Real Estate for the Chicago Transit Authority.

Among Warren’s duties, responsibilities and accomplishments in government were:

•  Management and coordination of controversial public issues, including proposals for a third airport at Lake Calumet, proposals for a Regional Airport Authority and formation of the Chicago-Gary Airport Compact;
•  Development of early Federal legislative proposals championed by Mayor Daley to create tax incentives and liability relief for private redevelopment of environmentally-distressed “brownfields”
•  Administration of the CTA’s massive real estate portfolio including rail stations, rights-of-way and related facilities, bus garages, maintenance facilities, concession areas and office space;
•  Negotiation of the sale of CTA property at Howard Station, leading to the development of the Gateway Center and a planned new CTA rail transit station;
•  Negotiation of the sale of surplus bus garages at Clark Street and Drummond Avenue for redevelopment as a mixed-use residential and retail neighborhood amenity, and at North and Cicero Avenues for a major shopping facility;
•  Negotiation of ground leases of CTA right-of-way for the Illinois Institute of Technology’s student center constructed around the L tracks, a major mixed-use development in Evanston, Illinois, and a downtown Chicago Jewel supermarket and shopping plaza;
• Conversion of rail station concession leases, all of which had been month-to-month, to standard retail multi-year leases, leading to higher rents and substantial tenant-funded improvements to CTA property.
• Warren is a registered lobbyist with the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois and has been involved in drafting legislation and lobbying on legislative and regulatory matters in Chicago government and in the Illinois General Assembly and State agencies. Warren currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of City of Chicago Special Service Area #38 (Northcenter) and has been a speaker at Continuing Legal Education seminars on Chicago zoning.

Practice Areas:

•  Zoning and Land Use
•  Development Incentives and Public Private Partnerships
•  Government and Legislative Matters
•  Real Estate Development
•  Real Estate Finance and Lending
•  Commercial Leasing
•  Real Estate and Corporate Transactions
•  Condominiums and Common Interest Communities

Bar Admissions & Memberships:

• Illinois State Bar Association

Education:

• University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., 1982
• Northwestern University B.A. (Political Science), 1979