In addition to offering words of gratitude to departing politicians, the DeKalb City Council also talked about land development.

The 52.7-acre lot on the intersection of Peace and Barber Greene roads may soon be part of DeKalb as commercial property.

The property, formerly owned by Caterpillar and the AGCO Corporation, has about 27 acres of parking lot.

City Manager Mark Biernacki said this junction could become DeKalb’s next big commercial junction.

Third Ward Alderman Steve Kapitan said he was concerned about the availability of parking spots for the lot, originally the site of a manufacturing plant.

“I’m not anticipating we’d use the total amount of parking we have there,” said Steve Miller, representative of Barber Greene Road DeKalb LLC. “We have the ability to expand parking tremendously.”

The proposal will return to the council as an annexation agreement in two weeks.

The council also discussed the construction of a 3.5-mile gas line for Nicor Gas along Peace Road.

The location of the line may be a handicap for the future expansion of Peace Road, which is a major artery through the town, Kapitan said.

It would be useful to move this line east and away from Peace Road, he said. This would decrease the pipeline’s overlap with airport property.

Annie Glidden is another road the city is aiming to expand.

The goal is to widen it into a boulevard with four lanes and a landscaped median, Kapitan said.

The city contracted with Land Acquisitions Inc. for $38,600 to help acquire land along the road that will be bought from about 15 owners.

Fifth Ward Alderman Pat Conboy said the hiring of the firm did not mean the city was guaranteed to receive the $4 million in federal money for the Annie Glidden expansion.

“We’d have to pay them no matter what – even if the ultimate project didn’t proceed,” Conboy said. “But everybody’s confident it will proceed.”

In other business, this meeting marked Mayor Greg Sparrow’s and 4th Ward Alderman Mike Knowlton’s final council session.

The council members and city staff said a few words expressing their gratitude for the dedication and services of the exiting members.

Both received plaques from the Metropolitan Planning Organization, for which they served on the policy committee.

“I think it’s important for the council to recognize that a sizeable portion of people wanted to see the

mayor return, and it would be important for the council to draw up a resolution recognizing his contributions,” Kapitan said.