City In Review: Chicago

Douglas · Then vs Now

Douglas: 2024-05 vs 2025-05

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

2024-05 2025-05 Change
Building permits 15 9 -40%
Construction value ($) $620,979 $4,919,800 +692%
New business licenses 8 3 -62%
Business closings (proxy) 0 0
311 service requests 273 305 +12%
Reported crimes 272 266 -2%
Violent crimes 95 79 -17%
Failed food inspections 0 1 +1

2024-05

Douglas permit value drops 54% despite steady count

Fifteen permits cleared in Douglas in May, just one more than April, but their combined value fell to $621k from $1.4 million the month before. Nine were express permits, which tend to be smaller-ticket items. Two sign permits and two renovation jobs rounded out most of the rest. New construction showed up once. The drop's steep, but without detail on what April's big-dollar permits covered, it's hard to say whether May was unusually quiet or April unusually busy.

2025-05

Douglas permit value jumps $4.9M on four fewer permits

Douglas pulled nine permits in May worth $4.9 million, a 2,638% jump in value despite four fewer permits than April. Six of those were express-program permits. The spike in dollar value isn't explained by the top categories (express and renovation work), so it's likely one big-ticket project. Crime reports climbed 23%, with violent incidents up from 65 to 79. Service requests dropped by 38%—abandoned vehicles led the list at 30, followed by traffic signal complaints at 28. No new business licenses or closures were logged.

New businesses — 2024-05

  • DIAMOND KUTZ (Limited Business License)
  • NUMI STUDIO INC. (Regulated Business License)
  • KRUTHIKA SPICE KITCHEN (Shared Kitchen User (Long Term))
  • FOOD XPRESS RESTAURANT (Retail Food Establishment)
  • WALGREENS #232 (Retail Food Establishment)
  • WALGREENS #232 (Package Goods)
  • NUTS TO GO (Shared Kitchen User (Long Term))
  • WALGREENS #232 (Tobacco)

New businesses — 2025-05

  • GYMFA CORP. (Pop-Up Retail User)
  • JB'S SEWER AND PLUMBING SERVICES (Regulated Business License)
  • CANDO Corporation (Regulated Business License)