Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson has taken a proactive step towards expediting the approval process for housing and commercial buildings. The executive order, signed by Johnson, mandates 14 City departments to review their procedures and propose solutions to streamline processes, remove obstacles, and accelerate timelines for development projects.

In addition to this, a director of process improvement will be appointed in the mayor’s office to oversee implementation across city departments and sister agencies. “My administration recognizes that some of our current processes are overly cumbersome and counterproductive for commercial and housing development,” stated Johnson. This move aims at making affordable housing and commercial districts more efficient throughout Chicago.

Both Johnson as well as his predecessor Lori Lightfoot have faced criticism regarding the city’s complex approval process. With this executive order in place, it is expected that developing projects in Chicago will become smoother without compromising on quality or safety standards.