City In Review: Chicago

Chatham · Then vs Now

Chatham: 2024-05 vs 2025-05

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

2024-05 2025-05 Change
Building permits 48 43 -10%
Construction value ($) $4,325,522 $2,204,428 -49%
New business licenses 13 15 +15%
Business closings (proxy) 0 0
311 service requests 1,566 1,532 -2%
Reported crimes 575 456 -21%
Violent crimes 224 160 -29%
Failed food inspections 1 2 +100%

2024-05

Chatham permit value spikes to $4.3M on 48 applications

Chatham logged 48 building permits in May, up from seven the month before, with a total declared value of $4.3 million — an eleven-fold jump from April's $357k. Thirty-six of those permits came through the city's express program, with another ten for renovation or alteration work. No new business licenses appeared in the data, and the other tracked categories stayed flat.

2025-05

Chatham gets 333 tree emergency calls

Chatham logged 1,532 service requests in May, up 46% from April. Tree emergencies drove the surge—333 calls, more than double the next category (172 for debris cleanup). Residents also flagged 87 abandoned vehicles and 86 potholes. Permits jumped 72% to 43, though total construction value fell by half to $2.2 million. Most permits (33) came through the express program. Violent crime rose 23%, from 130 incidents to 160. Food inspection failures dropped sharply, from nine to two.

New businesses — 2024-05

  • SUBWAY (Retail Food Establishment)
  • DEONATE CHRISS WILLIAMS (Peddler License)
  • SERENITY HOME HEALTHCARE INC (Limited Business License)
  • DOMINOS PIZZA (Retail Food Establishment)
  • QUALITY CAR WASH (Limited Business License)
  • Dunkin Donuts (Retail Food Establishment)
  • T-MOBILE (Limited Business License)
  • 2015 SEE THRU CHINESE KITCHEN (Retail Food Establishment)
  • WALGREENS # 05124 (Package Goods)
  • PARADISE GROCERY INC., (Tobacco)

New businesses — 2025-05

  • BARBIES MBM DANCE COMPANY LLC (Limited Business License)
  • EXPRESS BEAUTY SUPPLY (Limited Business License)
  • J & J FISH AND CHICKEN (Retail Food Establishment)
  • HIP HOP NAILS (Limited Business License)
  • PARADISE GROCERY INC., (Tobacco)
  • BIG O MOVER (Limited Business License)
  • WALGREENS # 05124 (Tobacco)
  • HOT CHI (Retail Food Establishment)
  • RBG CHICAGO, LLC (Regulated Business License)
  • BOOST MOBILE (Limited Business License)