Des Plaines mayor tells business leaders the city is ‘on our way’

Des Plaines Mayor Andrew Goczkowski told local business leaders Thursday that the city is “on our way,” citing surging development, improving finances and declining crime in an address focused on making the community a better place to do business and raise a family.

Speaking to the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce, Goczkowski said the city has moved from a “strategic crossroads” to “strategic alignment,” crediting a collaborative city council and a highly skilled city staff. General fund revenues outperformed expectations in 2025, with increases in sales, motor fuel and food and beverage taxes enabling reinvestment in core services rather than one-time fixes, he said.

The mayor highlighted about $187 million in construction value last year, nearly double the previous year, mainly driven by nonresidential projects. He said more than 1 million square feet of new Class A industrial and tech space is either under construction or planned, including advanced industrial and logistics campuses. In January, the city council approved a 137,000-square-foot Costco Business Center with a 24-pump gas station on Devon Avenue, the only such facility in the Chicago region.

This momentum has earned external recognition: In U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Places to Live rankings, Des Plaines ranked in the Top 250 nationwide and was No. 10 in Illinois. Goczkowski touted the city’s purchase of the historic bank building at 678 Lee Street and its planned conversion into The Dime, a destination restaurant led by operator David Villegas and expected to open in 2027. He connected that project to the city’s re:DDP downtown strategy, which focuses on destination dining, added housing and new public spaces to increase foot traffic and boost the tax base.

Goczkowski also pointed to a decline in crime, fully staffed police ranks, $19.2 million in capital construction for 2025, and an expanded business assistance grant program. He encouraged employers to invest, hire locally, engage with city government, and “tell the story” of Des Plaines, saying, “Thanks to all of you, we are on our way. But we’re not there yet.”