Sylvia C. Michas

Sylvia focuses her practice on land use, tax increment financing (TIF), government procurement, and government relations. She has extensive experience representing property owners and real estate developers in securing all types of land use entitlements, including planned developments, zoning amendments, special uses, variations, and public way approvals for a wide range of commercial and residential projects.

Sylvia has worked on behalf of clients in complex residential and commercial zoning matters throughout the City of Chicago, including appearing before the Chicago City Council Committee on Zoning, Chicago Plan Commission, the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals, and numerous city departments.

In addition, Sylvia advises clients on government procurement and compliance regulations, laws, and policies at the local, state, and federal levels. She handles a variety of matters relating to certification and participation of disadvantaged, minority, and women business enterprises (D/M/WBEs) in the government contracting process. Sylvia also assists clients in preparing D/M/WBE certification applications, assessing certification eligibility, and drafting appeals of certification eligibility decisions.

Prior to practicing real estate law, Sylvia spent several years working at a large U.S.-based bank, where she gained significant experience practicing in the areas of uniform commercial code and banking regulations.

• Counseled a global communication, IT, and security solutions company on various government relations issues.
• Obtained approvals for a planned development consisting of a mixed-use community of 494 residential units, 540,000 square feet of retail and commercial uses, and a 1.2-acre central plaza in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
• Obtained approvals for a planned development consisting of the redevelopment of a 300,000 square foot vacant building into a prominent automobile dealership and negotiated $8.5 million in tax increment financing.
• Obtained approvals for a planned development for a 67,370 square feet high school campus and a regulation soccer field on the city’s southwest side.
• Obtained approvals for a planned development for a 150,000 square feet retail shopping center and negotiated $6.8 million in tax increment financing.
• Obtained approvals for a planned development permitting the expansion of the City’s only manufactured home community.
• Obtained approvals for a planned development consisting of a mixed-use development with two residential high-rise towers, totaling 360 residential units and a nine-story base comprised of approximately 290,000 of retail square footage in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.
• Counseled a Fortune 500 company regarding D/M/WBE compliance nationwide.