DeKalb mayor ‘can’t wait to see’ Fourth Street development under city’s plan

DeKALB – The DeKalb City Council this week gave its final nod of approval to a plan aimed at boosting economic development in the South Fourth Street corridor.

Council action in a series of 6-1 votes allowed the city to create a tax increment financing district that officials said will spur new activity in the area. The lone dissenting vote was cast by 7th Ward Alderman John Walker. First Ward Alderwoman Carolyn Zasada was absent.

Mayor Cohen Barnes said he wanted to address some misnomers that people often raise about TIF districts and how it will work.

The TIF district only will include South Fourth Street from Taylor Street to Interstate 88. Barnes said he believes new business growth will help the city reach its goals for the corridor.

“I hear that over and over again how the TIF is going to cost money,” Barnes said. “That may be true if not for the historic unprecedented economic development going on on the south side.”

Not everyone was on board with the plan, however.

When asked about his dissenting vote Tuesday, Walker said he worries about business growth.

“If development goes stagnant at any time, we are in trouble,” Walker said. “Plus, we had a historical year. So, I hope we aren’t relying on every year to be like this. It’s wishful thinking but not likely.”

DeKalb resident Dewayne Brown spoke out against the plan, saying he believes more organic development is possible in the South Fourth Street corridor.

“The South Fourth Street corridor does not check off all the boxes,” Brown said. “We’ve had two businesses that were turned down on the South Fourth Street corridor. We had the one at Taylor Street and South Fourth Street that wanted the deli and the packaged liquor store. We had the laundromat that wanted video gaming and liquor. Now they want to create a TIF corridor there and use taxpayers' money for that.”

Barnes touted the council’s decision.

“I’m completely for it, especially given our recent history and seeing the recent history [and] the impact of TIF, especially on our downtown,” Barnes said. “I can’t wait to see what the Fourth Street corridor is going to look like in five years, in 10 years.”

Walker said he is a huge proponent of organic growth, and he sees potential opportunity for economic development.

“We had a deli liquor store shop we didn’t give a license to,” Walker said.

In April, the DeKalb City Council rejected plans for a deli to set up shop in a former 7-Eleven convenience store in town.

Fourth Ward Alderman Greg Perkins said he supports the city’s plan for Fourth Street, which includes his constituents.

“In the 4th and 5th Ward, we’ve waited for organic growth for over 50 years,” Perkins said. “Nothing’s happened. So, we need some type of a tool to spur development on that side of town. We’ve used the tool effectively [in] other areas in town. I think using those and the processes that were in place to support those TIFs, I think, are an indicator, hopefully, of future success with it.”

In a related development, the council last month authorized an intergovernmental agreement to help enable a cost-sharing arrangement with neighboring taxing bodies.

Walker said Tuesday that he’s not surprised by the council’s decision.

“I was disappointed, of course, because I think it got rushed,” he said. “We were basically trying to inorganically give back to that neighborhood. Out of all of DeKalb, I don’t believe that that area is what you consider a blighted area that would definitely need a TIF district as of right now.”