Pappas Development wants to annex land into DeKalb for 61-unit residential complex

DeKALB - One of DeKalb’s most prominent landlords wants to annex a portion of unincorporated DeKalb County into the city of DeKalb to build a 61-unit rental complex which will offer executive-style suites, according to development plans.

DeKalb-based Pappas Development is seeking city council approval to annex a 1.8-acre site at the northwest corner of Barber Greene and County Farm Roads to build a four-story building with 61 single bedroom units. The building will be called “Arista Residences,” according to city documents.

The proposed residential complex would sit at 1383 Barber Greene Road near the corner of Sycamore Road, close to shopping centers which house Buffalo Wild Wings, Panera and ALDI among others.

According to city documents ahead of the City of DeKalb’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, the units will be about 700-square-feet with an estimated monthly rent of $1,350. Amenities will include a hotel-style lobby, hospitality room, business center, full gym and electric vehicle charging stations. Unlike some of Pappas’ recent projects such as Cornerstone DeKalb and Plaza DeKalb downtown, the latest proposal won’t feature any commercial space, documents show.

Foti Pappas, vice president of Pappas Development, declined to provide comment on the proposal ahead of Tuesday’s commission meting, set for 6 p.m. Jan. 18 at the DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak. St.

The parcel of land Pappas is hoping to annex into the city was previously used for Buhr’s Landscaping and Lawn Care, which closed about two years ago, documents state. The owners, Herb and Linda Buhr, said the site has been for sale for 18 years.

In a letter sent Dec. 29, 2021 to the City of DeKalb, the Buhrs voiced support of the plan.

“Herb and I are looking forward to the sale of our property and the improvement this building will make to the area,” the letter signed by the couple states.

About 0.68 acres of the site land sits in unincorporated DeKalb County, so the developers hope to annex the space and then rezone it for residential use.

Preliminary site plans show Arista Residences -- “Arista” means the best in Greek -- would have three access points, including from the right along Barber Greene Road, which is under the jurisdiction of the DeKalb County Highway Department. Full access to the building would come from County Farm Road, a DeKalb city street. And east-west access to the residential building would come from space owned by the Northland Plaza Shopping Center.

There would be 92 parking spaces in the lot of the 61-unit complex, and a sidewalk along Barber Green Road. According to DeKalb city code, each one-bedroom rental unit must have 1.5 parking spaces. A 16-foot sewer would be relocated around the perimeter of the building, according to development plans.

Final plans for the development would need to go through the Planning and Zoning Commission again. However, Tuesday’s initial petition will address the preliminary plans, annexation request and zoning requirements.

According to documents, city staff recommend approval of the plan. Staff say the residences will be a benefit to nearby businesses, appeal to the area which is highly visible from Barber Greene and Sycamore roads, and accommodate housing needs in the community.

City staff also say the development proposal will increase property taxes, which would in turn increase city revenue, documents show.

If approved, Arista Residences would be the sixth of its kind to be built by Pappas Development over the past nearly three years.

Other prominent developments in Pappas’ portfolio include constructing the former K-Mart into the Hy-Vee Shopping Center, and the retail center with Ellwood Steak and Fish House, along Sycamore Road in both DeKalb and Sycamore.

Many of the residential complexes under the Pappas portfolio offer what the developers call executive or luxury units.

Two are still under construction, including the $13.8 million Agora Tower built on the land once formerly used for the Mooney Car Dealership and the oldest barbed wire factory in DeKalb at the corner of North Fourth and Locust streets. The four-story, 94-unit tower was awarded $3 million in tax increment finance funds from the city in June 2019, and will feature retail and office space on the first floor, according to development plans.

In October 2020, the City of DeKalb sold the former DeKalb Municipal Building to Pappas for $600,000, to build Johann Executive Suites, a $7.5 million development aided by $750,000 of city TIF funds which will have 57 units on Fourth Street. The old city hall was demolished in the summer of 2021. As part of the sale agreement with the city, Pappas will need to complete the build in 2022.

Isaac Executive Suites, 2675 Sycamore Road, was approved in June 2020 and lies outside of any TIF district boundaries with 59 one-bedroom units with shorter leases, about 9 months, for traveling professionals. The suites opened for rent in July 2021.

Cornerstone DeKalb, at First and Lincoln Highway, has 51 luxury apartments on the top three floors of the building, and the ground floor houses commercial space including Keg and Kernel by Tangled Roots Brewing Company and Barb City Bagels. Across the downtown street is Plaza DeKalb, a four-story, mixed-use apartment complex at 203, 223, and 229 E. Lincoln Highway. The building’s ground level also has Jamrah, a middle eastern eatery and will soon feature popular sweets chain Insomnia Cookies. Both projects were developed with the aid of city-approved TIF funding.

Arista Residences does not fall in a TIF district.

Once the petition makes its way through through the zoning commission, it will next head to the DeKalb City Council for approval.