City In Review: Chicago

Uptown · Then vs Now

Uptown: 2024-05 vs 2025-05

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

2024-05 2025-05 Change
Building permits 36 59 +64%
Construction value ($) $6,576,698 $9,901,315 +51%
New business licenses 45 29 -36%
Business closings (proxy) 0 0
311 service requests 1,277 1,206 -6%
Reported crimes 421 331 -21%
Violent crimes 122 87 -29%
Failed food inspections 4 0 -100%

2024-05

Uptown permit value surges past $6.5 million

Uptown logged $6.6 million in permit value during May, up tenfold from April's $590k. The jump came from 36 permits—three times the prior month's count—with 18 fast-tracked through the city's express program. Violent crime rose 24.5% (122 incidents, up from 98), while overall crime ticked up 11%. Graffiti removal requests led 311 calls at 177. Food inspection failures dropped by half, from nine to four.

2025-05

Uptown logs 43 express permits in May

Uptown pulled 59 permits in May, up 20% from April, worth about $9.9 million. Express permits dominated—43 of the 59—while seven went to renovation work and four to signage. The rest scattered across elevator equipment and one demo job. No new business licenses or closures showed up in the data this month.

New businesses — 2024-05

  • Vandross Beauty & Barber (Limited Business License)
  • XPRESS FOOD MART (Retail Food Establishment)
  • ADVANCED FINANCIAL COMPANY (Regulated Business License)
  • CECILIA ADELA BURGA MALES (Peddler License)
  • Chicago Methodist Senior Services (Raffles)
  • Total by Verizon (Limited Business License)
  • T-MOBILE (Limited Business License)
  • SONIC DRIVE IN (Retail Food Establishment)
  • XMARKET (Package Goods)
  • XMARKET (Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity)

New businesses — 2025-05

  • STUDIOUS (Children's Services Facility License)
  • THE HAITIAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF CHICAGO (Indoor Special Event)
  • NOTHING BUNDT CAKES (Special Event Food)
  • CO 5 KITCHEN LLC (Retail Food Establishment)
  • Storage Post / 5145 N Clark Street, LLC (Limited Business License)
  • BYRON'S HOT DOG (Special Event Food)
  • HAIBAYO (Retail Food Establishment)
  • LIT CBD & KRATOM DISPENSARY (Limited Business License)
  • DIGIDUH SOLUTIONS LLC (Regulated Business License)
  • Slate Procurement LLC (Regulated Business License)