Take a stroll through downtown DeKalb and it’s impossible to miss what happens as you cross the train tracks.

While the section of Lincoln Highway between First and Fourth streets features a popular bar, various niche shops and an art gallery, beyond Fourth Street, empty storefronts are the most obvious feature.

Enter the Community Development Department of DeKalb and its proposed East Lincoln Highway revitalization plan.

This plan goes beyond the standard beautification practices of installing lamp posts and attractive landscaping – although it will accomplish these things – said Russ Farnum, acting community development director.

Entering DeKalb from the east on Lincoln Highway is “one of the least attractive ways to enter the city,” City Manager Mark Biernacki said.

The plan states the city will attempt to push out light industrial and residential buildings and extend the more charming section of DeKalb across the train tracks, as far as 11th Street.

Initial funding comes by way of House Speaker Dennis Hastert in the form of a $695,000 grant. Twenty percent of it could be used for planning, and the rest will go toward beautification, Farnum said.

Will the city seize any homes or businesses that stand in the way of what the plan sets out to do?

Three different city officials answered definitively, “No.”

“We can be very patient. It’s not our goal to displace our residents or shut down any existing businesses,” Farnum said.

Officials may institute what is known as the “right to refusal” policy that allows the city to pay for a home prior to its sale, thereby ensuring the land will belong to the city once it is for sale.

Mary Wolfe, a resident on East Lincoln Highway, said she likes the plan, but really does not want to move out of her apartment, which could happen if her landlord decides to sell his land.

Harold Scharlau, another resident of the area, said although he would not enjoy moving, he would accept it for the greater good of the community.

“It’s like racing – you have to go with the flow,” he said.

Scharlau said he understands why the city must make more room for business. Without the money business garners for the city, DeKalb will not be able to grow, he said.

Economic Development Director Paul Rasmussen said, “The goal is to establish conditions on the street that will attract new businesses and local businesses.”

He said he has long sought to inject a bohemian atmosphere into downtown DeKalb, and this plan represents a realization of that desire.

The community development department will hold several public hearings during March, and it will likely reach the city council by mid-year.

Once the plan is enacted, Rasmussen said it will take about five to eight years before the vision of this plan is observable.