January 15, 2025
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DeKalb mayor touts 2024 infrastructure investment, housing economic development gains

Mayor Cohen Barnes says he wants more Metra conversations in 2025

By Megann Horstead
DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes speaks Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, during the DeKalb Veterans Memorial Mural dedication. The mural, which is is a re-creation of a painting by Mary Gallagher Stout titled “What These  Boots Have Seen,” is on the rear wall of the Plaza DeKalb building overlooking Van Buer Plaza.

DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes speaks Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, during the DeKalb Veterans Memorial Mural dedication. The mural, which is is a re-creation of a painting by Mary Gallagher Stout titled “What These  Boots Have Seen,” is on the rear wall of the Plaza DeKalb building overlooking Van Buer Plaza. (Mark Busch)

DeKALB – DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes said he’s proud of what the city accomplished in 2024.

“I think it was pretty exceptional when you look at all the new housing starts that we have had on the south side of town,” Barnes said. “That’s a big deal for the city of DeKalb. It shows how much people want to come to the city now and live here, raise their kids here, send them to our schools. So, that’s incredibly exciting.”

In 2024, the city had 52 new housing starts compared to 6 in the prior year, city documents show.

The mayor – who faces off against 7th Ward Alderman John Walker, Northern Illinois University IT employee Kouame Sanan and resident Linh Nguyen, an educator at NIU, in a race to win reelection this spring – said he believes the city has made additional efforts to spur resident growth.

The City Council in December 2024 extended a waiver of its water impact fees through April, with the intent of encouraging new housing starts.

A manufacturer has proposed building a new 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse facility on 147 acres of land owned by 3M on DeKalb’s south side, city documents show. A manufacturer has proposed building a new 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse facility on 147 acres of land owned by 3M on DeKalb’s south side, city documents show. The development, referred to as “Project Midwest” in documents released ahead of Monday’s DeKalb Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, would be built on the northeast corner of Peace Road and Fairview Drive, DeKalb.

A manufacturer has proposed building a new 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse facility on 147 acres of land owned by 3M on DeKalb’s south side, city documents show. The development, referred to as “Project Midwest” in documents released ahead of Monday’s DeKalb Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, would be built on the northeast corner of Peace Road and Fairview Drive, DeKalb. (Photo provided by City of DeKalb)

The city also has a chance to make some inroads on infrastructure in 2025.

Barnes said for years, the city has divested in its road maintenance.

“Before I took office, we were spending $700,000 a year in roads,” Barnes said. “Then, the last four years, we spent $2.5 million a year in roads, which is a significant increase. But then in 2025, we’re actually going to expand it to $4.5 million.”

City officials looks forward to taking advantage of opportunities for economic development.

Barnes pointed to the Karis data center and Project Midwest, which were both approved by the City Council.

The end users for both developments have yet to be publicly identified, to date.

“We’ve got multiple proposals that are out there looking to move to the next phase, and we’ve been able to move those forward,” he said. “The interest level of other companies that want to come to the city of DeKalb is high right now. We’re in quite a few of those conversations.”

A petitioner wants to build a 121-room Marriott branded hotel at 902 Peace Road in DeKalb, a proposal set to go before city officials Monday, May 1, 2023 for its first review. (Development rendering provided by city of DeKalb)

A petitioner wants to build a 121-room Marriott branded hotel at 902 Peace Road in DeKalb, a proposal set to go before city officials Monday, May 1, 2023 for its first review. (Development rendering provided by city of DeKalb) (Development rendering provided by City of DeKalb)

This development comes as the city looks to add a new Marriott-branded hotel, right between the Bumper to Bumper auto parts store and Fast Stop Express gas station.

Barnes lauded the City Council’s decision.

In August 2024, DeKalb city leaders authorized plans for the hotel.

“We’ve got a huge shortage out there of beds that when people come and attend events at the Egyptian Theater, events at the Convocation Center, events at Husky Stadium, we really needed some extra beds in our community,” Barnes said. “Now we’re going to be able to capture those by having a new hotel here as opposed to people going to other communities and other municipalities in the area where we would lose not only their sales tax dollars but also hotel-motel tax.”

In 2024, the city received funding for studying the second phase of how to bring a commuter rail to DeKalb, which Barnes said he’s excited will keep the conversation in the community going.

“I’m really looking forward to moving this conversation about bringing Metra out to the city of DeKalb forward,” Barnes said. “We’re going to be able to do that, which is going to start happening more and more in 2025 and 2026. I know it’s a lot, but it’s been a good year.”

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