Natarus Again Misleads Voters With Zoning Ordinance Press Release Alderman Natarus has again provided nothing new or original in his thinking

Natarus zoning ordinance changes are part of a 2-year, 5 part city wide program and not through his own initatives as claimed in a press release.

CHICAGO, IL February 27, 2004 - Judge Kenneth L. Gillis (retired) today charged that Alderman Burton Natarus is stealing credit from both the City Council and Mayor Richard M. Daley for zoning ordinance initiatives that benefit all of the City of Chicago.

Alderman Natarus has provided nothing new or original in his thinking that is of benefit to the people of the 42nd Ward. The areas he has protected include Holy Name Cathedral, the high-end shops on Oak Street and the area which includes Gibsons Steakhouse, the Hunt Club and Dublins, without protecting properties, such as the Scottish Rite property, stated Judge Gillis. His idea of an helping residents is putting diapers on horses, requiring theatre owners to clean up popcorn, banning rollerblading on the lake front or doing favors for Ward bosses wanting to ignore city codes when they opened a bar on Division Street.

A press release issued December 17th by Natarus office, stated Alderman Burton F. Natarus (42nd Ward) introduced thirty Chicago City Ordinances today that will down zone hundreds of properties in the Oak Street, Washington Square, and River North communities.

In addition, todays legislation will update decades-old zoning classifications, some dating back as far as 1957 when development attitudes were radically different from today. While many of the properties rezoned in todays legislation have no development plans in sight, the changes made today help match their zoning classifications to the properties actual use, the Natarus release continued.

A Chicago Sun-Times article, by reporter Fran Spielman, stated Residential real estate developers would be required to register with the city to guard against shoddy work, and downtown developers who build affordable housing would get the right to build taller buildings under a pair of housing reforms introduced by Mayor Daley The fifth and final installment of a massive rewrite of Chicago's 1957 zoning ordinance also includes a series of changes that would reshape downtown development.

A City Hall source, commenting on the changes in the city-wide zoning ordinance changes, said The City (Chicago) began changing the antiquated zoning ordinance (passed in 1957) over 2 years ago. We have just begun addressing the modification of residential ordinances. All Alderman have been requested to submit legislation requesting areas with in their Ward that are to be down zoned in compliance with the City wide program. The source went on to further explain that with the exception of down zoning certain areas, most changes in the ordinances are in terminology so that the ordinance is easily understood by developers and residents.

Even though Alderman Natarus office refused to provide a copy of his legislation, a Condo Association president was able to contact a third source intimately familiar with the changes. It was discovered that Alderman Natarus legislation provided developers in the 42nd with bonuses for making financial contributions towards affordable housing, erecting heated bus stops, building small parks on the property, etc. and be exempt from compliance with the down zoning ordinance.

The Honorable Kenneth L. Gillis is a former judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, having served for more than nineteen years. He served for 12 years in the Cook County States Attorneys office. The last two years he served as the 1st Assistant States Attorney.

Judge Gillis is a former First Vice-President of the Illinois Judges Association, and served as chairman of public affairs Commission of CBA; on the editorial board of the CBA. Judge Gillis has also written a book on trial advocacy, and numerous articles for other legal journals. Also, he currently teaches courses at Chicago Kent College of Law.

Judge Gillis graduated the University of Chicago Law School and attended Chicago - Kent University, earning a masters degree in financial services in 1990. Judge Gillis also holds a civil engineering degree from Illinois Institute of Technology. Judge Gillis has been licensed to practice law for over 42 years.
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