DeKalb city leaders, residents debate redevelopment proposals for Annie Glidden North neighborhood

DeKALB – DeKalb city leaders this week were grilled by community members over the city’s recommendation to combine two redevelopment proposals, submitted by Northern Illinois University and DeKalb County Community Gardens, for long-vacant lots on the city’s north side.

The DeKalb City Council this week reached a consensus directing project leaders to combine the two plans into one. During a packed City Council meeting Monday, however, some community members said they’d prefer one development plan over the other.

More than 20 people took to the podium during the meeting to express their views.

Eric Ogi, pastor of The Federated Church of Sycamore and a DeKalb resident, urged the City Council to have the moral courage “to do the right thing” and make the changes that will uplift people’s lives. Ogi said DCCG’s plans address a larger portion of community needs than NIU’s plan, which would benefit students.

“Diluting by trying to be all things to all peoples splitting the lot will in this case lead to a dilution of the very goals that the revitalization plan has set out,” Ogi said. “DCCG’s plan as it clearly articulates, ‘uses the entire property to most effectively meet those needs, and of course, we will continue to work as we always have with community partners.’”

Ogi referenced the Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan adopted by the City Council in 2018. The plan came to fruition through a series of several public meetings and a citizen-led city committee to better help direct needed development for north side residents.

NIU’s proposal calls for the buildout of a roughly 10,000-square-foot to 12,000-square-foot building on approximately two acres along Blackhawk Road that excludes the corner opposite the intersection of Blackhawk Road and West Hillcrest Drive. The plan would allow project leaders to establish the NIU Center for Greek Life, a new space for Greek students to gather, meet, eat and socialize.

“Diluting by trying to be all things to all peoples splitting the lot will in this case lead to a dilution of the very goals that the revitalization plan has set out. DCCG’s plan as it clearly articulates, ‘uses the entire property to most effectively meet those needs,’ and of course, we will continue to work as we always have with community partners.”

—  Eric Ogi, pastor of The Federated Church of Sycamore and a DeKalb resident

Another plan submitted by DCCG proposes the construction of a mixed-use building on approximately 4.87 acres at the northwest corner of Hillcrest Drive and Blackhawk Road. The facility, dubbed the CHEF Complex, would provide space for a number of uses, including a greenhouses, demonstration garden, garden center, food market, food hub, shared-use commercial kitchen, food court, gathering spaces, shared office space and multipurpose rooms.

Both projects have offered the city $200,000 for land acquisition, city documents show.

DeKalb resident Danita Sims said she’s excited about DCCG’s plans for the lots.

“The idea of creating a hub and a space that’s shared, welcoming and safe, I think, will be a fantastic idea,” Sims said. “I can’t wait to be a part of the sustainability of that type of idea.”

Not everyone shared the same sentiments.

Jeff Liesendahl, co-chairperson of the presidential task force on the revitalization of Greek life at NIU, was among those voicing support for the university’s proposal. He said he never imagined that the city would’ve drawn two viable proposals to redevelop the lots.

“I think the challenge before the council tonight is how to make them both work,” Liesendahl said. “I believe that they can.”

Fourth Ward Alderman Greg Perkins said he would entertain the idea of project leaders collaborating as he believes there’s enough space for the two concepts to occupy the space.

“I want to believe there’s room there to do that,” Perkins said.

Clint-Michael Reneau, vice president for student affairs at NIU, said the university wants to be a good working partner and is willing to put in the work to make this happen.

“We want to be a good steward of the resource, we want to be a good steward of the area,” Reneau said. “We want to have a presence in the area. We want to have the ability to help students flourish. We want to help the neighborhood. We believe that our efforts with philanthropy and volunteerism and to thinking about how we can reimagine support services within the community. That’s what we want to do essentially.”

Reneau acknowledged that there are university Greek organizations that do not have a house that would utilize the proposed space.

Mayor Cohen Barnes, who is an NIU alumnus, said he is supportive of the university’s plan for the lots. He called into question the costs of maintaining DCCG’s proposed facility operationally.

“I know you’re going to seek other partners and all that, but operationally just the capital costs of maintaining all this going forward,” Barnes said. “I question, is it too much too soon? For me, I would love to see a component of Northern’s Greek Life Center there.”

First Ward Alderwoman Carolyn Morris disagreed, saying she has a different vision for the lots, which form a “L” shape on the corner of Blackhawk Road and West Hillcrest Drive.

“I think part of the value of using the entire ‘L’ for one project is getting a project that’s big enough to have a huge impact,” Morris said. “I can hear that and see that in what I’m hearing from the community tonight. So, I am 100% in support of this project the CHEF Project as is. I appreciate that you’ve involved the Greek Life. If Greek Life needs to be more involved, add another Python, add another layer, make it a three-story building instead of a two-story building and have the university pay for that.”

Sixth Ward Alderman Mike Verbic said it’s clear that DCCG founder Dan Kenney and DCCG’s plan for the lots is more responsive to the needs of the Annie Glidden North Neighborhood.

“If I reflect back on Ward Six meetings over the last six years and certainly all of the listening sessions that you took part in, you’re correct in that your proposal is addressing all of those requests, needs more specifically to the residents of Annie Glidden North,” Verbic said.

Kenney, who’s led work on the project and also helps head up Opportunity DeKalb, an area nonprofit born of out of the Annie Glidden North Task Force, founded the DCCG. The nonprofit operates throughout the county providing regular pop-up food and supply pantries to area residents, and runs several community kitchens and a vocational farm to address food shortages in the area.

Kenney said the community gardens organization has worked on this project proposal for multiple years, and put a lot of money already into planning for the facility.

“As you can see, this is a proposal that meets all that is asked for by the city and its [request for proposals], and it meets all the needs expressed by residents in the entire community,” Kenney said.

Some council members said they wouldn’t take a position on the matter, saying they can’t support either proposal.

Second Ward Alderwoman Barb Larson said she doesn’t think the City Council needs to rush into any decisions.

“We don’t have to make a decision tonight,” Larson said. “I think we need to talk together. I think there is a viable solution.”

Third Ward Alderman Tracy Smith said he wants to see some collaboration between project leaders.

“Tonight, I have to be neutral on both,” Smith said.

Ultimately, the City Council took the city manager’s recommendation to direct project leaders to combine their proposals into one.

The matter is expected to return to the City Council for further deliberation and potential consideration in 60 days.