City In Review: Chicago

West Town · Then vs Now

West Town: 2024-04 vs 2025-04

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

2024-04 2025-04 Change
Building permits 44 113 +157%
Construction value ($) $10,047,757 $7,345,752 -27%
New business licenses 92 117 +27%
Business closings (proxy) 0 0
311 service requests 3,409 2,927 -14%
Reported crimes 608 518 -15%
Violent crimes 132 94 -29%
Failed food inspections 22 19 -14%

2024-04

West Town logs 44 permits worth $10 million

West Town pulled 44 permits in April totaling just over $10 million, with more than half coming through the city's express program. Twenty-three permits used the expedited track, while another 11 covered renovation or alteration work. Six sign permits and three elevator jobs rounded out the activity. No new business licenses showed up this month.

2025-04

West Town permit volume jumps 15%, dollars plunge 77%

West Town logged 113 permits in April, up 15% from March, but total declared value cratered from $31.6 million to $7.3 million. More than half the permits—62—came through the express program, which typically covers smaller interior jobs. Nineteen renovation permits and 16 sign permits rounded out the activity. The drop in dollar value suggests big projects wrapped or stalled while routine work kept the count steady.

New businesses — 2024-04

  • FREIGHT TO PLATE, LLC (Regulated Business License)
  • Abercrombie & Fitch # 11995 (Limited Business License)
  • SALTMARA WICKER PARK (Limited Business License)
  • ETHERIA (Regulated Business License)
  • PUBLICAN QUALITY BREAD (Package Goods)
  • LOLA'S CONEY ISLAND VIN: 1GBHP32M0C3322516 PL # 155000C (Special Event Food)
  • Goose Island Beer Company (Package Goods)
  • Goose Island Beer Company (Outdoor Patio)
  • Goose Island Beer Company (Public Place of Amusement)
  • Goose Island Beer Company (Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity)

New businesses — 2025-04

  • WESTERN FOOD & GROCERY (Tobacco)
  • INDUSTRIOUS CHI 1720 WEST DIVISION STREET LLC (Limited Business License)
  • CHILLS ITALIAN ICE (Special Event Food)
  • SISTER LAVENDER NAIL & SPA, INC. (Regulated Business License)
  • SIX HAND BEAUTY SALON (Limited Business License)
  • Wolf & Company Chicago (Package Goods)
  • JAMES W. QUINN (Peddler License)
  • Wolf & Company Chicago (Outdoor Patio)
  • Wolf & Company Chicago (Retail Food Establishment)
  • GRAND LUXURIOUS SPA (Limited Business License)