Interested in opening a new business in Chicago? Be prepared to navigate a potentially complex set of procedures that may require a facilitator or submitter to help shepherd your license application through the process.
However, yesterday, mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel announced a plan to reform city government. The plan includes a component aimed at making the zoning and business license process more transparent.
The December 2 online edition of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Emanuel’s plan would create an online portal to track zoning decisions so that applicants can monitor the progress of their application during the review process. The plan also calls for creating legislation to require all who participate in the zoning approval process to publicly reveal any potential conflicts of interest on their part or the part of a family member. The plan also requires setting clear timelines for city action during the review process. It’s believed that the proposal may render the need for submitters obsolete.
If implemented, it’s clear that Emanuel’s plan would represent progress for new business owners interested in contributing to Chicago’s economy by launching new businesses.
Steve Elias – Team Leader, Business License Research Team, Corporation Service Company
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