Chicago & Midwest | July 22, 2019

Plan Commission Chair Steps Down After Seven Years

At what turned out to be Martin Cabrera Jr.’s final meeting as chair, the Chicago Plan Commission recently approved three large-scale projects. The commission endorsed an apartment high-rise to replace a parking garage at 50 E. Randolph St.; an office-and-hotel complex at 1043 W. Fulton Market; and Sterling Bay and Magellan Development Group’s plan for a 510-foot hotel-and-residential tower at 300 N. Michigan Ave.

Cabrera announced his resignation as the meeting ended. Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to take the commission “in a different direction,” Cabrera told the Chicago Sun-Times, and he submitted his resignation to give her the opportunity.

Cabrera’s seven-year tenure has seen the commission endorse more than 250 projects, including Lincoln Yards and the Obama Presidential Center. He said he’s most proud of serving at a time when developers of Chicago’s largest private projects were required to sign affidavits spelling out efforts to share the wealth with minorities.

Pictured: Lincoln Yards

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 13-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 15-20 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).