Here's a small one out of Chicago's South Side that a lot of contractors will recognize: a single lot, a modest budget and a permit that came through fast.
The city issued a $600,000 permit on Thursday, Oct. 15, for a new four-story, six-unit residential building at 6156 South Champlain Avenue in Woodlawn. Chicago YIMBY reported that the permit spent just 15 days in the city's system after its application start date of Sept. 30. The building will go on a long-vacant lot at the northwest corner of Champlain and East 62nd Street.
Who's on the job
The permit names Barton Ritchey as the property owner. Lorenzo's Home Improvement Services of Berwyn is listed as the general contractor, and Michael Ryan of McHenry is the architect of record. Chicago YIMBY noted Ryan also designed multi-unit buildings at 4311-4317 South Indiana Avenue that were all permitted in June 2022.
The city's own record, posted on the Chicago Data Portal building permits dataset, fills in the rest of the crew. Chavez Electric of Chicago is listed as the electrical contractor. Two masonry contractors are named, CYS Construction & Roofing LLC and Duran Concrete Inc, both of Chicago. Vertex Mechanical Inc of Morton Grove is the plumbing contractor, and E & J HVAC Solutions Inc of River Grove is listed for both refrigeration and ventilation.
That's a good look at how a six-flat comes together in this city: a general contractor out of the near west suburbs, with electrical, masonry, plumbing and HVAC subs from Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
What the permit says
There aren't many design details on file. The work description calls for a new four-story, six-unit residential building that won't be sprinklered, with Type III-B construction and R-2 occupancy. In plain terms, R-2 is the code's occupancy group for buildings with multiple dwelling units, and Type III construction means noncombustible exterior walls, often masonry, with interior framing that can be combustible. The "B" means the interior structure doesn't need the fire-resistance ratings a Type III-A building would require.
The description also says the permit falls under the 2019 Chicago Building Code and calls for a structural peer review.
The record lists it as a new construction permit reviewed under self-certification, the city's track where a licensed architect certifies that the plans meet code. The portal lists the processing time as 15 days.
The fees add up to $19,285.50, according to the city. That includes a $5,383.50 building fee, $5,550 in zoning fees and $8,352 in other fees, with $4,050 of the zoning fee waived, leaving $15,235.50 paid and nothing outstanding. The permit is now active, with the city listing its next milestone as inspections and a certificate of occupancy required before anyone moves in.
There's no word yet on unit sizes or layouts. Chicago YIMBY didn't report a construction timeline, and none is on the permit.
The neighborhood
The lot sits within walking distance of several CTA bus lines, according to Chicago YIMBY, including the north-south 4 and X4 stops to the east on South Cottage Grove Avenue and the east-west 59 and 63 routes. The Cottage Grove Green Line platform is about a quarter-mile to the southeast, and eastbound 63 buses connect to the Metra Electric line a little over a mile away.
City records place the site in the 20th Ward and in the Woodlawn community area.
Why it matters for Contractors
Six-unit buildings are bread-and-butter work for a lot of small and mid-size outfits, and this permit shows how much of the job can land with local trades. A general contractor, an electrician, two masonry firms, a plumber and an HVAC contractor are all on file before ground is broken.
It's also a reminder that Chicago's self-certification track can move a straightforward residential permit fast. Fifteen days from application to issuance is quick for a new four-story building. For contractors who work with architects in that program, the takeaway is simple: have your subs, paperwork and fees ready, and, as this one shows, a permit can come back in about two weeks.
And this one fills a corner that's sat empty for a long time, a few blocks from the Green Line. For the trades on the permit, the next step is getting that building out of the ground and through inspections.