City In Review: Chicago

Belmont Cragin · Then vs Now

Belmont Cragin: 2025-05 vs 2026-05

A side-by-side look at how Belmont Cragin shifted between two periods.

2025-05 2026-05 Change
Building permits 31 0 -100%
Construction value ($) $997,688 $0 -100%
New business licenses 46 6 -87%
Business closings (proxy) 0 0
311 service requests 1,832 0 -100%
Reported crimes 320 0 -100%
Violent crimes 96 0 -100%
Failed food inspections 12 0 -100%

2025-05

Belmont Cragin permit value drops 81% to under $1M

Permit value in Belmont Cragin fell from $5.2 million in April to just under $1 million in May, an 81% drop. The month brought 31 permits, down from 50, with 24 of them through the express program. Violent crime declined 16% to 96 incidents. Residents filed 209 abandoned vehicle complaints—the most common 311 request—and another 106 rodent complaints. Food inspection failures held steady at 12.

2026-05

Belmont Cragin hits zero across permits, 311, crime

Every metric landed at zero for Belmont Cragin in May—no building permits, no 311 service requests, no reported crimes—after April logged 11 permits worth $172k, 897 service calls, and 18 crimes. Six new business licenses did process: Irma's Magic Beauty Salon, Harbor Freight Tools #400, Dollar Plus Variety (which picked up both a tobacco and a retail food license), Utopia Nails Salon, and Renegade Dog Services. The across-the-board zeros suggest a data collection issue rather than a month of absolute quiet.

New businesses — 2025-05

  • MAY YIN YANG (Limited Business License)
  • WOK DONG (Retail Food Establishment)
  • CRESPO TRUCK (Shared Kitchen User (Long Term))
  • WALGREENS #4986 (Tobacco)
  • WAVEMAX LAUNDRY (Regulated Business License)
  • FIVE BELOW (Limited Business License)
  • FIVE BELOW, INC. (709) (Limited Business License)
  • SOMETHIN SWEET (Retail Food Establishment)
  • INTERNATIONAL STAR LEAGUE (Public Place of Amusement)
  • Walach Manufacturing Company (Manufacturing Establishments)

New businesses — 2026-05

  • IRMA'S MAGIC BEAUTY SALON (Limited Business License)
  • HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS #400 (Limited Business License)
  • DOLLAR PLUS VARIETY (Tobacco)
  • DOLLAR PLUS VARIETY (Retail Food Establishment)
  • UTOPIA NAILS SALON, LTD. (Limited Business License)
  • Renegade Dog Services LLC (Animal Care License)