Near West Side · Then vs Now
Near West Side: 2025-01 vs 2026-01
A side-by-side look at how Near West Side shifted between two periods.
| 2025-01 | 2026-01 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permits | 108 | 112 | +4% |
| Construction value ($) | $17,805,921 | $29,224,204 | +64% |
| New business licenses | 90 | 88 | -2% |
| Business closings (proxy) | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| 311 service requests | 49,516 | 60,112 | +21% |
| Reported crimes | 716 | 755 | +5% |
| Violent crimes | 189 | 205 | +8% |
| Failed food inspections | 12 | 10 | -17% |
2025-01
Near West Side permit count up 12% despite value drop
Near West Side pulled 108 permits in January, up from 96 the month prior. But total permitted value fell 45% to $17.8 million. Express permits accounted for two-thirds of the activity — 72 in all — while renovation and alteration work trailed at 18. Sign permits, elevator work, and a handful of demolitions rounded out the month. No new business licenses or closures showed up in the data.
2026-01
Near West Side permit value falls to $29M
Building permits dropped from 124 to 112 in January, and their combined value fell 36% to $29.2M. Express permits accounted for 69 filings. New licenses included Union Padel, which landed both a retail food permit and a consumption-on-premises approval, and Prime 57 Restaurant & Lounge. The neighborhood recorded 502 crimes, 134 of them violent. Of 39,273 service requests, 38,092 were tagged as information-only calls—a catch-all for non-actionable contacts. Six food establishments failed inspections.
New businesses — 2025-01
- K + P ADVISORY (Regulated Business License)
- Refrigerant Finders (Limited Business License)
- NATALIA SEN INTERIORS LLC (Regulated Business License)
- IAN SNOW (Shared Housing Unit Operator)
- ESPERTO GROUP, INC. (Regulated Business License)
- ASCEND NOW (Regulated Business License)
- THE YARD (Limited Business License)
- Cooperate Marketing, LLC (Limited Business License)
- Dandelion USA LLC (Limited Business License)
- Glavin Inc. (Limited Business License)
New businesses — 2026-01
- 2nd Annual Valentines Day Celebration -indoor special event 2/14/2026 6pm-12am (Indoor Special Event)
- COOLER LOGISTICS LLC (Limited Business License)
- Union Padel (Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity)
- Newbridge Marketing, LLC (Limited Business License)
- Prime 57 Restaurant & Lounge (Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity)
- Union Padel (Retail Food Establishment)
- RANDOLPH STREET MARKET (Pop-Up Retail User)
- READY EV NOW LLC (Regulated Business License)
- J-STAR MOTION CORPORATION (Limited Business License)
- SUBSTATION MARKET (Retail Food Establishment)