DeKALB – At its Monday meeting, the DeKalb City Council agreed to move forward with a sales tax sharing agreement with TownePlace Suites and Fairfield Inn Hotel. They also proclaimed Aug. 8, 2025, as Dr. Leroy A. Mitchell day.
REVENUE SHARING AGREEMENT WITH TOWNEPLACE SUITES AND FAIRFIELD INN.
The City Council approved the final development plan for a 120-room hotel slated for construction on a 2.5 acre site at 902 Peace Road on Aug. 26, 2024.
The TownePlace Suites and Fairfield Inn Hotel has since been permitted for construction, but Developer Pramit Patel has run into a funding gap.
Patel claimed the construction budget had increased by approximately $4 million since the development plan’s approval for a total of $23.2 million, and presented a number of tax incentives to the council in hopes of receiving financial assistance for the project.
Patel presented a sales tax sharing agreement, outlined in the council meeting agenda, which the council agreed would benefit the city by attracting hotel guests to nearby businesses, garnering long-term hotel tax revenue and qualifying the city for larger events.
“Not only do we miss out on events, but we have multiple events that every hotel room is taken,” Mayor Cohen Barnes said.
The council agreed to move forward with a resolution authorizing the sales tax sharing agreement, which will be voted on at the Sept. 8 meeting.
DR. LEROY A. MITCHELL DAY
Mayor Cohen Barnes proclaimed Aug. 8, 2025, as Dr. Leroy A. Mitchell Day in the city of DeKalb.
Aug. 8 was chosen because it was the formal opening day for the elementary school named in Mitchell’s honor.
“Dr. Leroy A. Mitchell has demonstrated exceptional dedication and service to the community of DeKalb, Illinois, for more than 40 years through his tireless efforts in advancing educational opportunities, supporting at-risk youth and serving his community as a devoted servant and leader,” Barnes said in the proclamation.
Barnes also recognized Mitchell’s 28 years of service as director of NIU’s CHANCE program, as well as the fact that he and his wife welcomed more than 50 foster children into his home.
“His unwavering commitment to education is recognized with the naming of an elementary school in his honor, and his call to ministry as the founding pastor and pastor emeritus of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church serves as an inspiration to us all,” Barnes said.
Barnes ended the proclamation by calling upon DeKalb citizens to celebrate Mitchell’s dedication and positive impact on the community.
The council also formally recognized Fehr Graham, Elliott & Wood and Curran Contracting for their leadership and expertise in critical 2025 street improvements.
“It is important that we honor those who make a profound contribution to the city of DeKalb in the many ways that that can happen, and in substance, we’ve been able to see a lot of improvements that have gone into street infrastructure in the last year,” City Manager Bill Nicklas said.
Nicklas referred specifically to the recently opened roundabout at Normal Road and Lucinda Avenue as well as the largest ever annual street maintenance program, which cost $4.5 million.
