Near West Side · Then vs Now
Near West Side: 2025-05 vs 2026-05
A side-by-side look at how Near West Side shifted between two periods.
| 2025-05 | 2026-05 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permits | 121 | 0 | -100% |
| Construction value ($) | $354,493,135 | $0 | -100% |
| New business licenses | 250 | 107 | -57% |
| Business closings (proxy) | 0 | 0 | — |
| 311 service requests | 51,016 | 0 | -100% |
| Reported crimes | 922 | 0 | -100% |
| Violent crimes | 256 | 0 | -100% |
| Failed food inspections | 15 | 0 | -100% |
2025-05
Near West Side permit value jumps to $354 million
A handful of big-ticket permits pushed the Near West Side's May construction value to $354 million, up from $19 million in April. The neighborhood issued 121 permits, down slightly from 131, with express permits accounting for more than half. Violent crime rose 29%, from 198 incidents to 256. Food inspection failures doubled to 15. The 311 line logged 49,391 information-only calls—roughly 1,600 per day—dwarfing every other request category. Graffiti removal requests came in second at 454.
2026-05
Near West Side logs 107 new licenses in May
Near West Side issued 107 new business licenses in May, up 22 percent from April's 88. Manny's Coffee Shop picked up retail food and on-premises consumption licenses. Alhambra Palace Restaurant did the same, plus tobacco. Tony's BP added filling station, retail food, and tobacco. The Publican got a retail food license. Building permits, crime reports, and food inspection failures all came back zero this month—likely a reporting gap rather than a silent May.
New businesses — 2025-05
- SUAREZ MARKET (Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity)
- Hampton Inn & Suites Chicago Medical District UIC (Package Goods)
- BITTER EX BITTERS & SYRUPS (Wholesale Food Establishment)
- FIRE LANE 7 LLC (Manufacturing Establishments)
- SUSHI PINK CHICAGO INC. (Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity)
- FREE SPIRIT INTERNATIONAL LLC (Regulated Business License)
- Pacific Air Travel (Limited Business License)
- THE GREAT AMERICAN BAGEL (Retail Food Establishment)
- Comvest Capital Advisors, LLC (Limited Business License)
- TAQUERIA CHINGON 2.0 (Retail Food Establishment)
New businesses — 2026-05
- Horizons for Youth (Raffles)
- MANNYS COFFEE SHOP, INC. (Retail Food Establishment)
- MANNYS COFFEE SHOP, INC. (Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity)
- ALHAMBRA PALACE RESTAURANT (Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity)
- TONY'S BP (Retail Food Establishment)
- TONY'S BP (Filling Station)
- TONY'S BP (Tobacco)
- ALHAMBRA PALACE RESTAURANT (Tobacco)
- ALHAMBRA PALACE RESTAURANT (Retail Food Establishment)
- THE PUBLICAN (Retail Food Establishment)