Chicago Cityscape overhauled the system to obtain amenities and social infrastructure data so that it can be published more frequently. We are switching from quarterly to monthly updates, and our system allows us to update even sooner than "next month" if there is a need.

Other changes

• We have also added a new categories of fitness centers (gyms and health clubs, and "sports centers", which includes businesses like golf driving ranges, indoor sky diving, and more.
• The total number of assets that we categorize within a one mile walk is now shown in conspicuous red text. 

Chicago Cityscape is also using EveryDoor to speed up the addition and removal of new and closed amenities, and we invite our members to contribute as well. EveryDoor is an app for Apple and Android phones that makes it easy to edit OpenStreetMap, our primary data source for amenities and social infrastructure. While you move about a neighborhood, or are waiting for someone at a restaurant, open the app to add, edit, and remove nearby businesses.

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The three clicks is a promise. First, open a Chicago-based Place Report; Property Finder will open automatically. (For example, open Near West Side community area.)

1. In the Property Finder filters, select the “Developable lots” filter. 
2. In the “Listing status” filter, tick the checkboxes for each of the property types you want to find. 
3. Select the “Apply filters” button. 

In a moment, Chicago Cityscape will show you a map and data table of developable lots for sale in Chicago. The information shown to you will also include a calculation of how many homes each property allows based on its current zoning district. 

These filters combined can find excellent new construction and redevelopment opportunities. For example, we found a one-story commercial building for sale in the West Loop which is zoned to allow seven apartments or condos. 

You might be wondering, what’s a developable lot? Our definition of developable lots comprises properties that meet all of these criteria:

• Low-intensity land use (parking lots, one-story commercial buildings, side yard, vacant lots, car repair and gas stations)
• In a zoning district with an FAR of 2.0 or higher, which means that a building on the property can have a floor area of two times, or more, the lot area. Or is in an RM-5, RM-5.5, RM-6, or RM-6.5 zoning district.
• Within a transit-served location (meaning within 1/2 mile of a CTA or Metra rail station, or within 1/4 mile of a CTA bus route that has higher-frequency service in the middle of the day). 

Chicago Cityscape updates properties for sale once a day; the criteria listed above are updated as needed or as properties change. 

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The vast majority of property sales and transactions are required to be submitted – by the sales participants or their agents – to the Illinois Department of Revenue's MyDec database, where Chicago Cityscape sources its Cook County property sales data. 

Occasionally, some transactions are not submitted to MyDec. Chicago Cityscape has a way to warn its members when that may have happened using our new recordings database. 

Currently, Property Reports highlight the date of the last sale (using information provided to MyDec). What's new is that when we have a record of a recording that is of a deed type, Property Report will highlight that fact and advise you to look in the list of recordings for a deed recording that has a price associated with it. 

The screenshot below, of a property that didn't have a MyDec submission, better explains what Chicago Cityscape members should be on the lookout for.