City In Review: Chicago

Uptown · 2026-01

Uptown permit value drops 70% in January

Permit value in Uptown fell from $5.5 million to $1.6 million, even as the count slipped just three projects (17 to 14). Ten of those permits were express-program jobs. New businesses included Carino, a retail food spot with on-premises consumption, and Clark El Ranchito Corp., operating both a shared kitchen and a retail location. Failed food inspections jumped from one to seven. Service requests dropped 18%, led by 146 calls about uncleared sidewalks—likely snow. Crime ticked down slightly, with violent incidents falling from 79 to 75.

By the numbers

Building permits14
Declared construction value$1,628,340
New business licenses22
Business closings (proxy)1
311 service requests1123
Reported crimes269
Violent crimes75
Failed food inspections7

New businesses

Top permit types

Top 311 request types

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