The city of DeKalb’s plans for constructing a new transit center moved one step closer to reality this week when the City Council accepted a donation of about 3 acres of land near the site.

The city also recently obtained $20 million in federal funding for development of the transit center, officials said.

City Manager Bill Nicklas said council action was needed because federal monies have come in.

“Since we got that go-ahead, we’re off and running,” Nicklas said.

The land donation also will push the project forward.

In 2022, the City Council decided on a 35-acre site to host its new transit center off Dresser Road.

The land expected to be used for the transit center originally was part of a 2013 annexation agreement, documents show. The original development, dubbed Irongate, was meant to be a mix of housing and commercial space, part of a 458-acre site. Under the 2013 annexation agreement, that would have included single-family homes, townhomes, a senior housing and assisted care facility, a church, commercial areas, recreational and open space areas, and additional land to lease or sell to a third party.

The transit center will sit on 35 acres of city-owned property, with the entry to the center connected to the Irongate development area, according to the plan. The property also provides room for a bike path and pedestrian walkway to connect to the back of the DeKalb County Health Department campus along Annie Glidden Road.

The existing transit facility at 1825 Pleasant St. consists of two buildings with a surrounding parking lot on 4.3 acres of the 10-acre property, according to city documents. While the facility is within the service area, city staff said it is not an optimal size, as 12 acres was determined to be the minimal size of the site.