It's been a while since we've had an update about our Cannabis maps and features, so here's the lowdown on 5 improvements:

1. There are 24 new dispensaries on our Illinois dispensaries map. This also means that every time you look up an address to get its Address Snapshot, you'll see on its cannabis map the nearest licensed dispensaries and the 1,500 foot radius established by State law.

2. Additionally, we updated dozens of dispensaries (there are 85 total now) to add notes about name changes and add the operator name (where it's known to use).

3. Next, we added new filters to the Illinois dispensaries and growing facilities maps, so you can filter by operator, city, and dispensary type (medical, recreational, and both).

4. We've also made it easier to find location-specific news articles and zoning changes about cannabis, with the new "cannabis" tag.

5. Finally, we updated Chicago's zoning map for December, which means the Site Selector and Cannabis zoning maps have the latest zoning districts to help you find a suitable location for a new dispensary or growing facility.

Chicago Cityscape now has detailed property transaction information for all properties subject to Real Estate Transfer Tax in Cook County. This includes the majority of residential, commercial, and industrial property sales. 

There was a 16.1 percent increase in the number of recorded property transactions in Cook County from 2020 Q3 to 2020 Q4 (see the chart below for the quarterly and monthly breakdown of sales last year). 

The priciest transaction was the sale of 110 N Carpenter St for $412.5 million, also known as the building with McDonald's global headquarters.

Sales by quarter

Transactions peaked in October 2020.

Sales by community area

Check out the chart below showing the top 10 community areas by number of transactions recorded. In case you're wondering why Austin is in the top 10, know that it's the largest community area by land area.

A small number of sales cannot be mapped. This number is reported on our main Property Sales page, and on Address Snapshots and Place Snapshots. Out of 563,128 transactions we aren't able to automatically map 945 (0.17 percent).

Since Chicago City Council adopted rules to automatically increase the ARO in lieu fee based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), we've updated the fees on Chicago Cityscape's Address Snapshot feature. 

The fees are updated January 1 every year. The screenshot below shows the ARO section of each Address Snapshot's automated zoning assessment. 

This particular Address Snapshot is also in an ARO pilot area so the different in lieu fee is shown for the Little Village pilot area, which supersedes the 2021 fee. 

Our map of Chicago zoning changes has been updated to show all current zoning district boundaries. This includes all 40 approved zoning changes made in December 2020; there were no zoning changes approved in November. The next batch of zoning change applications will be approved on January 26, 2021.

This means that when you look up an address or parcel in Chicago you'll be looking at the current zoning map. (Stay tuned for an announcement about updates to our automated zoning assessments.)

The batch of approved zoning changes included:

• 22 new townhouses to be built by Habitat for Humanity
• Converting ground floor commercial space into 3 *accessible* dwelling units
• Converting a former place of worship into affordable apartments

The full details of our zoning changes map is visible to people with Leads, Pro, or Real Estate Pro-level memberships. Try Real Estate Pro for free for 7 days (no credit card required). Start now.

We are committed to updating our Chicago zoning map every two months. We will make the next update in late February which will include January and February approvals. 

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People use Demolitions Tracker to know what buildings in Chicago are scheduled for demolition, and to see how many demolition permits have been issued each year. 

We've made three changes to improve both use cases!

• Like our main Building Permits Browser, the Demolitions Tracker map and table are now side by side for easier viewing. 

Screenshot: The map and data table are now side by side. This particular demolition permit is by Metra to make room for a new train station and parking lot in Auburn Gresham.

• Filter the demolition permits by time period, including a set number of days, or a specific year. 
• Charts are improved: See four years at once, download the data, and they're bigger.

Last April, we added environmental *inspections* data for Chicago addresses, and we promised that the *permits* data would be added within a week. The goal was to help environmental justice organizations and residents understand what point source air pollution they could expect in their neighborhood. 

Additionally, adding the environmental data was a response to the disastrous implosion of the smoke stack at the former Crawford generating station so that people could be alerted through the Address Snapshot notifications. 

Looking up environmental inspections and environmental permits is a two-step process:

1. First, look up an Address Snapshot by searching for any address or PIN in Chicago.
2. Then, scroll down and click on "Environmental Snapshot". A new tab will open where you can see environmental-oriented data about and around the location you looked up.

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