A city plan to revitalize downtown DeKalb might be formally approved as a “policy guideline” for the city by January, according to a DeKalb city official.

The Streetscape Plan calls for DeKalb buildings to be restored to their original appearance along with other city improvements.

The plan “promotes conservation and restoration as opposed to replacement,” DeKalb City Planner Jim Hogue said. “It’s designed to serve as a guideline of any future redevelopement projects which the city may be funding.”

DeKalb government officials are currently using Tax Increment Financing District monies to provide local businesses with no interest loans for facade improvements.

Because the businesses are receiving funds from the city, owners might have to comply with the city plan on how the facade will be aesthetically finished to receive the loan, Hogue said.

The purpose of the plan is to “get everybody reading from the same page, so to speak,” he said.

Hogue said local downtowns across America have been traditionally moving from retail to service orientation and these improvements might not draw more retail profits.

He said he hopes more service business will be drawn to the downtown area. “I’m not totally convinced the downtown will be the retail center that it once was,” Hogue said.

In order to enhance the buildings’ appearance the plan states owners should remove materials covering the original construction done. Stone work and filling the joints between bricks with fresh mortar are also suggested.

The plan also suggested any trim on a building be “stripped, patched, filled and repainted in colors compatible with the era of that building.”

Refinishing the facades of the buildings “will instantly raise the perception of quality of those structures,” the plan states.

The plan also outlines guidelines for signs in DeKalb, streets, sidewalks, alleys, parking lots, drinking fountains, trash cans, and planters.