About Us Our Team

Your Right-of-Way Experts

Santacruz Land Acquisitions has the versatility, experience and qualifications to deliver the land acquisition needs for highway and other infrastructure projects.

On-Time

Years of successful on-time delivery of right of way land acquisition services for public infrastructure projects

History

Diverse set of real estate acquisition disciplines including backgrounds in law and civil engineering

Expertise

Negotiation, settlement and title clearance experience to resolve all types of acquisitions.

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Industries Served

Highway icon
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Highway

Washington Street in Lake County, Illinois, Lake County Division of Transportation – Right-of-way Agent. Engaged to provide negotiation/acquisition and appraisal services for 135 parcels over a 2.5 mile corridor. Project involved roadway widening and a grade separation of METRA rails from the roadway.

I-57 and I-294 Interchange, Illinois State Toll Highway Authority – Right-of-Way Agent. Engaged to provide a combination of negotiation/acquisition and appraisal services for over one hundred parcels for the construction of an interchange connecting two major interstates.

Rail

Grand Avenue Grade Separation, Grand Avenue Railroad Relocation Authority, Franklin Park, Illinois – Right-of-way Agent. Provided negotiation services and facilitated acquisition of over eighty parcels of right-of-way necessary to complete a rail-road grade separation along Grand Avenue in Franklin Park involving the Soo Line Railroad, CP Rail Systems, Wisconsin Central and Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad.

Air

O’Hare Modernization Program, O’Hare Airport expansion for the City of Chicago – Right-of-Way Agent. Completed the acquisition or referral for condemnation of over 300 parcels in a seven-month period. Coordinated the acquisition process with relocation agents assigned to provide relocation benefits to displaced property owners under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended.

Meet our Team

Javier Steve Santacruz

Javier has more than 25 years of experience in providing right-of-way services for a variety of governmental agencies. He has assisted on planning of right-of-way during plan development stages, as well as worked as a right-of-way agent in the acquisition and facilitation of right-of-way necessary for the completion of a project. He has extensive experience working with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority gaining a thorough understanding of the policies and procedures of those agencies in meeting their right-of-way requirements. Javier graduated with a B.S. in Accounting and a Juris Doctorate from DePaul University.

Javier Steve Santacruz

President and Project Manager

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Jonathan Abplanalp

Jonathan graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Architectural Studies. He has been with Santacruz since 2011 and has experience in all aspects of the land acquisition process.

Jonathan Abplanalp

Vice President and Negotiator

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Dylan Santacruz

Dylan graduated from Miami University (Oxford OH) cum laude with a degree in Business Analytics. He joined Santacruz in 2021.

Dylan Santacruz

Negotiator

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Robin Weber

Robin is a real estate paralegal experienced in preparing conveyance documents, reviewing title and coordinating closing transactions. Robin has been with Santacruz since 2010.

Robin Weber

Paralegal

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Agafya Greovoy

Agafya is a real estate paralegal assistant experienced in preparing conveyance documents, reviewing title and coordinating closing transactions. Agafya has been with Santacruz since 2017 and is also a real estate salesperson.

Agafya Gerovoy

Paralegal Assistant

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Nikki Crisan

Nikki is an administrative assistant charged with maintaining our parcel database, preparing offers and notices to property owners, obtaining title commitments, and closing our negotiation files. Nikki has been with Santacruz since 2018.

Nikki Crisan

Administrative Assistant

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Services Provided

Appraisals

Negotiations

Settlements


Title Review

Condemnation Support

Relocation

Clients Served

Statement of Qualifications

Santacruz Land Acquisitions specializes in negotiating and acquiring parcels of land for right-of-way use by governmental bodies in roadway construction and other public infrastructure projects. Founded in 1992, we have been helping our clients acquire right-of-way on budget and in a timely manner to keep their projects on schedule.

We have worked extensively with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA), Cook County, Lake County, Will County and other local municipalities in facilitating property owners through the acquisition process with great success.

Santacruz Land Acquisitions is certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the State of Illinois and a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) by Cook County and the City of Chicago.

Certifications