City In Review: Chicago

Lake View · Then vs Now

Lake View: 2025-01 vs 2026-01

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

2025-01 2026-01 Change
Building permits 86 65 -24%
Construction value ($) $8,134,482 $8,894,243 +9%
New business licenses 55 43 -22%
Business closings (proxy) 0 0
311 service requests 1,672 2,249 +35%
Reported crimes 429 349 -19%
Violent crimes 80 78 -2%
Failed food inspections 16 9 -44%

2025-01

Lake View permit count jumps 56% on express filings

Lake View issued 86 permits in January, up 56% from December's 55. Nearly half—45 permits—came through the express program, with another 16 for renovations or alterations. Total estimated construction value hit $8.1 million, a third higher than the prior month. No new business licenses or closures showed up in the data.

2026-01

Lake View crime drops 20%, 38 new businesses open

Lake View logged 38 new business licenses in January, including Kim's Korean Cuisine, Pancake Cafe / Aji, and Tulip's Tea on Tuesday. Crime fell 20% to 349 incidents, with violent offenses down 6% to 78. Permits ticked up to 65 from 62, but their total value dropped 19% to $8.9 million. Express permits led the way with 34 filings. Residents filed 2,249 service requests, down 7%, with graffiti removal (380) and tree trim requests (208) topping the list. Snow complaints hit 194. Food safety failures held steady at 9.

New businesses — 2025-01

  • RENEWBUILD (Regulated Business License)
  • STUDIO ABSCURA LLC (Regulated Business License)
  • CRUISE UTOPIA (Regulated Business License)
  • Q'BO LATIN CAFE INC. (Retail Food Establishment)
  • MAY THERAPEUTIC SPA, LLC (Regulated Business License)
  • FEDEX OFFICE AND PRINT SVCS, INC. (Limited Business License)
  • FEDEX OFFICE AND PRINT SVCS, INC. (Limited Business License)
  • THE XCHANGE (Limited Business License)
  • LAKEVIEW SMOKE & VAPE INC. (Tobacco)
  • DEAR MARGARET (Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity)

New businesses — 2026-01

  • POP/CULTURE CHICAGO (Limited Business License)
  • PANCAKE CAFE / AJI (Retail Food Establishment)
  • KIM'S KOREAN CUISINE (Retail Food Establishment)
  • NICOLE RIZZO (Shared Housing Unit Operator)
  • LAKEVIEW NAILS (Limited Business License)
  • PREPPED N PLATED LLC (Retail Food Establishment)
  • Sunnyside (Limited Business License)
  • TULIP'S TEA ON TUESDAY (Retail Food Establishment)
  • ISAAC CRAWFORD SALON (Limited Business License)
  • KINETIC COLLABORATION PILATES (Regulated Business License)