City In Review: Chicago

Kenwood · Then vs Now

Kenwood: 2025-01 vs 2026-01

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

2025-01 2026-01 Change
Building permits 6 8 +33%
Construction value ($) $1,609,248 $426,964 -73%
New business licenses 22 3 -86%
Business closings (proxy) 0 0
311 service requests 308 290 -6%
Reported crimes 147 136 -7%
Violent crimes 44 49 +11%
Failed food inspections 0 0

2025-01

Kenwood permit value jumps to $1.6M on six filings

Six permits in January pulled $1.6 million in declared value, up more than 500% from December's $262k on nine permits. Five were express-program filings; one renovation rounded out the list. No new businesses opened or closed. Service requests dropped 4% to 308, led by 59 tree-trim tickets (a category the city no longer accepts). Crime fell 24% to 147 incidents, with violent offenses down 29% to 44. Whatever project accounts for the permit surge isn't spelled out in the data.

2026-01

Kenwood permit values fall 77% in January

Permit dollars dropped from $1.8 million to $427k in January—a 77% slide—while the count fell from 15 to 8. Six of those permits came through the express program. Violent crime climbed 32% (37 to 49 incidents), even as overall crime dipped 14%. Three businesses registered under regulated licenses: K Carlton, Enjoy, LLC, and Precious Home Help. Service requests edged up 4%, with plumbing violations leading at 43 complaints. No food inspection failures this month, down from two in December.

New businesses — 2025-01

  • R BLESSED HANDS HAIR STUDIO INC. (Limited Business License)
  • Little Black Pearl (Limited Business License)
  • NORFLO HOLDING (Limited Business License)
  • THE VENUE (Limited Business License)
  • ROOM FORTY THREE (Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity)
  • ADVANCE INTEGRATED SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY (Regulated Business License)
  • ROOM FORTY THREE (Retail Food Establishment)
  • P.E.A.K. Enterprises Inc. (Regulated Business License)
  • EDWARD JONES (Limited Business License)
  • NORMAN'S (Caterer's Liquor License)

New businesses — 2026-01

  • K CARLTON (Regulated Business License)
  • ENJOY, LLC (Regulated Business License)
  • PRECIOUS HOME HELP (Regulated Business License)