Steven C. Bauer

Steve is an associate in the Government Group. His practice focuses primarily in the areas of land use, zoning, public finance, and transactional real estate.

Steve has both counseled corporate authorities and plan commissions and represented private interests before them at public meetings and hearings regarding petitions for rezonings, text amendments, special/conditional uses, variations, subdivisions, and planned unit developments. He regularly drafts and examines various real estate related documentation including annexation agreements, development agreements, redevelopment agreements, ordinances, and resolutions in connection with zoning and subdivision proposals. Steve also aids in facilitating tax-assisted development such as tax increment financing and special service areas.

Prior to earning his law degree, Steve served as a land planner at both the county and municipal level with the County of Will, Illinois and the Village of Lincolnshire, Illinois where he examined various development proposals and requests for zoning relief. Additionally, he authored the Village of Lincolnshire’s current comprehensive future land use plan, served as the chief liaison to the Will County Historic Preservation Commission, and served on the Will County Zoning Revisions Committee charged with the responsibility of updating the Will County Zoning Ordinance.

Steve’s recent experience includes representing:

• Residential land developers before various Illinois municipalities with regard to the land use approvals and zoning relief necessary to subdivide land and construct multi-million dollar single-family detached dwellings thereon;
• Chicago-area municipalities in the negotiation of annexation agreements with residential, commercial, and mixed-use land developers;
• A skilled care senior living provider in the negotiation of a redevelopment agreement to provide tax increment financing necessary to construct a skilled care nursing facility housing not less than 180 beds;
• Several Chicago-area municipalities in the establishment of tax increment financing districts necessary to provide the funding needed to ensure the feasibility of various mixed-use land redevelopment projects;
• A prominent self-service storage provider before various Illinois municipalities with regard to the land use approvals and zoning relief necessary to construct large-scale residential and business self-service storage facilities;
• Chicago-area municipalities in facilitating tax assisted development through the establishment of special service areas to fund public improvements; and
• A Chicago-area municipality in the comprehensive amendment of its historic preservation ordinance, which regulates the designation of local landmarks and external modifications to local landmarks following designation as such.