City In Review: Chicago

West Town · 2026-04

West Town permit value crashes 91% in April

Permit value in West Town fell from $597 million in March to $52 million in April, a 91% drop. The 111 permits issued in April included 42 under the express program and 23 renovation jobs, but no big-dollar construction drove the total. New businesses included CAVA, a McDonald's, and BEST SUB #2. Crime dropped 40%, from 558 incidents to 333. Violent offenses fell from 100 to 77. Residents filed 3,394 service requests, up 9% from March. Graffiti removal led the list with 682 calls, followed by 430 pothole complaints.

By the numbers

Building permits111
Declared construction value$51,560,663
New business licenses52
Business closings (proxy)0
311 service requests3394
Reported crimes333
Violent crimes77
Failed food inspections7

New businesses

Top permit types

Top 311 request types

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