DeKALB – The DeKalb city council rolled out a swath of new development plans including a new pizza restaurant, entertainment venue and changes to NIU bus routes at its meeting on Monday.
The route changes will begin March 9, during NIU’s spring break, and will be running when classes resume on March 17.
PUBLIC TRANSIT UPDATES
Routes 10 and 11
Routes 10 and 11 will be re-routed onto Fotis Drive, no longer making U-turns at the intersection of Twombly Road and Rosenow Way. It will now use Adams Way onto the return trip down Twombly.
Route 11
The sequence on the overnight Route 11 spends too much time on the north side of the
route, causing the buses to have to hold up. The route will be redrawn to cut down on time, not affecting run time at night.
Route 12
Staff proposed an increase for weekend service on Route 12 from two to five trips on Saturdays and up to six trips on Sundays when NIU is in session.
Route 18
Route 18 will now be rerouted on the northbound trip to access Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care in Sycamore. The proposed change allows access to a second medical facility and allows a better transfer point between Route 18 and Route 21.
Route 19
Route 19 ridership increases have led to struggles to remain on time. The change seeks to remove the section traveling north on N. First Street between Locust Street and Hillcrest Drive and on Hillcrest Drive/Seventh Street from N. First Street to Pleasant Street and allow the buses more time between trips.
To accomplish this the city is removing five bus stops on Route 19. The revised route for Route 19 from Lincoln Hwy and N. 1st St. will go left on Locust, stop at 2nd and Locust St, stop at 6th and Locust St, and stop at N. 7th St. and Pine.
Route 21 and Route 21 Tripper
The proposed revision of the route intends to make traffic flow better and improve bus times with a change to the 21 Tripper hours and feeder route, changing them from an on-demand route to a paratransit/Dial-A-Ride zone.
A map of route changes can be found on the city council website.
The changes will also be reflected in the SPOT app, according to the city.
DeKalb mayoral candidate Linh Nguyen expressed her concerns about the proposed removal of bus stops from Route 19.
“Route 19 connects our residents to Target Distribution Center and NIU, our largest employer. It provides transportation to essential healthcare services at DeKalb County Health Department,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen suggested an improvement rather than removal of the current routes and highlighted what she considered potential drawbacks for passengers waiting on bus routes.
The estimated annual cost of the fuel associated with the changes proposed by the transit manager is approximately $50,909.86, covered by annual federal funding.
“The proposed change would require passengers to transfer between routes 17, 18 and 19 to reach their destination. This might seem simple on paper, but consider the implication in practice,” Nguyen said. “It results in actual waiting times for transfer. It makes it harder for workers to reach major employers, like Target Distribution Center and NIU. We risk the jobs and our city’s economic stability.”
Transit Manager Mike Neuenkirchen said the Route 19 changes were based on maximizing efficiency.
“The main demand for that route is to travel to the industrial complexes. That’s the only route that’s serving that area,” Neuenkirchen said. “What we’re trying to do is think strategically about what we have with funding and if there’s options. We’re not sitting here liking the idea of eliminating anything, but it’s what can we do to eliminate inefficiencies.”
206 E. LINCOLN HIGHWAY REDEVELOPMENT
The city approved a $98,000 TIF loan for a planned pizza restaurant at 206 E Lincoln Hwy.
The space will be taken by Iniga Pizzeria Napoletana, owned by Tim Cottingim.
The new development will replace the former Eduardo’s pizza restaurant.
MCCABES REDEVELOPMENT
Long Family Management LLC has proposed changes to the 125-year-old structure formerly known as McCabes at 323 E. Lincoln Highway.
City Manager Bill Nicklas explains the proposed changes.
“The intent here is to revive the first floor in particular on the both of the conjoined buildings and create a larger open space for entertainment of various kinds,” Nicklas said.
The installment of sprinkler lines and fire alarm improvements would total $314,465. Estimated cost for the first floor sprinkler totals $89,193, while the third floor sprinkler and automatic alarm system on first and third floors totals $225,272.
Additionally, the first floor of the two-story structure at 333 E. Lincoln Highway is vacant and has two second-floor apartments. David Long, representing Long Family Management, said his family wishes to revive the commercial use for both buildings and to add sprinkler systems.
An executive summary of the project plan said “We often hear stories of couples meeting 20 years ago at McCabes, and we are looking to help the next generation make the same memories.”
The building was a nightclub 26 years ago. A Northern Star article from 1990 said the establishment’s slogan was “If you can’t party with us, you can’t party.”
WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT
The city council passed a bid of $585,564 for the replacement of 1,400 feet of a water main that runs along the east side of North First Street due to past breaks and disruptions to service. The request for bid (RFB) also includes a proposal that addresses a section of public water main in front of Walmart within the Market Square Shopping Center.
TITLE VI UPDATE
Updates to the City of DeKalb Federal Transit Administration Title VI Program were proposed.
This includes a breakdown of board membership by race and an update to census data to provide specific languages instead of aggregated language groups. The implementation of the Language Line, a 24/7 language service provider hotline, intends to help non-English speakers better navigate the DeKalb transit system.
