The fate of downtown DeKalb rests in the hands of the DeKalb City Council. The council will decide Feb. 26 whether or not the downtown will get its “radical” makeover.

“The task force and consultants have come up with a viable plan that’s become a map for the downtown quarter,” said DeKalb Mayor Frank Van Buer. “As we go on, there’s quite a bit of momentum.”

The task force is working on the first stage: the streets.

“The plan recommends a variety of improvements. We are currently underway in designing the first stage [which includes:] streetscaping and aesthetic improvements on Lincoln, Locust, Second and Third Streets,” said DeKalb City Manager Mark Biernacki.

Despite the momentum, the plans are not written in stone.

“We’ve got a road map,” Van Buer said. “Sometimes we might detour. It’s important to remember plans are flexible.”

One such detour was a conflict involving Parking Lot 4, located on N. Second Street.

“We won’t make lot four into a public square,” said Community Development Director Russ Farnum. “There was a lot of controversy with downtown merchants, so we took that part out of the plan.”

The downtown DeKalb revitalization plan will be presented to the city council on Feb. 12, and voted on Feb. 26.

“I have no doubt the council will approve it,” Van Buer said.

Even if the plan is adopted in February, concrete development will not begin until summer.

“We hope to have something underway late summer, early fall,” Biernacki said.

While the plan is underway, there is no official timeline.

“The public improvements will have to be installed incrementally over time as we have the money,” Farnum said. “Key redevelopment projects aren’t going to be city driven. Those will rely on private developers. We don’t have any specific timelines on those.”