City In Review: Chicago

Lower West Side · 2025-05

Lower West Side permit value jumps to $42M

Permit value in Lower West Side shot up more than 1,000 percent in May, hitting $42 million compared to $3.5 million the month before. The count actually dropped from 40 to 32 permits, so one or two big projects are driving the spike. Crime rose 30 percent overall, with violent offenses up 44 percent to 88. Service requests climbed 19 percent, led by 447 graffiti removal calls—nearly half the month's total. Street lights out and potholes rounded out the top complaints. No new business licenses recorded.

By the numbers

Building permits32
Declared construction value$42,085,180
New business licenses47
Business closings (proxy)0
311 service requests1320
Reported crimes257
Violent crimes88
Failed food inspections2

New businesses

Top permit types

Top 311 request types

Automated draft · verified against source · confidence 0.92. Spot a problem? Tell us.