Taft partner Liz Butler is proud to have served as legal counsel to Brown Derby LLC and R2 Development in securing key approvals for the redevelopment of 79 West Monroe, a historic office building in Chicago’s Loop. The $64 million adaptive reuse project is Chicago’s first office-to-residential conversion under the City of Chicago’s ‘LaSalle Street Reimagined’ initiative and Mayor Johnson’s “Build Better Together”—a bold, citywide strategy for inclusive economic growth.

Liz led the entitlement and public incentive process, securing zoning approvals and City Council approval of a $28 million tax increment financing (TIF) grant from the City of Chicago to support the project. She worked closely with City staff and agency partners to navigate complex zoning, historic preservation, and affordable housing requirements and helped build stakeholder support for the transformative redevelopment. This is the first project to get underway as part of the City’s LaSalle Corridor Initiative.

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Liz Butler’s practice focuses on land use, zoning, and government relations, with a particular emphasis on projects that activate underutilized sites and deliver long-term community benefits.