The city of Chicago has officially announced that Mayor Brandon Johnson has signed an Executive Order aimed at simplifying city approvals. This significant announcement was made during the groundbreaking ceremony for Grace Manor Apartments, a $40 million project committed to ensuring 100 percent affordability in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood.

According to the order, 14 City departments are mandated to evaluate their current procedures and propose solutions for streamlining processes, removing obstacles, and accelerating the review and approval timelines for development projects. The order also requires relevant departments to submit a report within 90 days to the Deputy Mayor of Business and Neighborhood Development, Kenya Merritt. This report should outline proposed changes designed to streamline processes and promote the development of commercial and housing projects. Furthermore, according to a press release by the city of Chicago, the order establishes a director of process improvement in the mayor's office tasked with overseeing implementation across city departments and sister agencies.

Mayor Johnson said in a press release by the city of Chicago: "My administration recognizes that some of the City’s current processes are overly cumbersome and counterproductive for commercial and housing development, which actually impedes the progress that Chicago residents and businesses deserve. We need more affordable housing, we need more small businesses, we need more economic activity, and we need good-paying union jobs to revitalize our city. This Executive Order is an important step in streamlining the process so we are collectively moving forward in the same direction."

Grace Manor is a housing development located on West Ogden Avenue featuring 65 apartments. It is expected to be completed by spring 2025. Led by Reverend Marvin Hunter, pastor of Grace Memorial Baptist Church, this project transformed an underused police station parking lot into a multifunctional building with retail and commercial spaces on its ground floor as stated in a press release by the city of Chicago.