The downtown area on East Lincoln Highway has long been a fixture of DeKalb, but soon it may see some changes.

After Northland Plaza’s revamp with the recently constructed Borders, interest has focused on opportunities in northern DeKalb. However, that same boost in business poses a possible threat to the downtown area.

Because downtown has seen its share of business owners, Mayor Greg Sparrow is considering new ideas to bring in more business and connect downtown and Northland Plaza, located on Sycamore Road.

His first idea comes by way of the trolley.

“As people are coming into our community, we will have to connect the whole city,” Sparrow said.

If the City Council accepts the trolley idea, up to six trolleys will run between Northland Plaza and downtown DeKalb. The trolleys would run on 15-minute intervals to help alleviate the parking problem downtown, Sparrow said.

Organizers of the Main Street Program, which helps promote and organize downtown DeKalb, think the trolleys would be helpful as well.

“Anything that exposes the community to downtown is always beneficial,” said Heather Fosburgh, Main Street Program manager.

Some downtown business owners see the trolley system as a good step toward increasing business downtown.

Sandy Gavin, owner of Encore Resale Clothing and The Yarn Exchange, 153 and 134 E. Lincoln Highway, respectively, said the trolleys would be a welcome change.

“There are shops downtown that are more specialized and can offer more than the national chains,” she said. “The trolleys are a great idea and would give us some more exposure.”

Despite increased business presence along Sycamore Road, downtown has had some trouble filling and maintaining vacancies over the years.

“New business owners aren’t aware how much money it takes and actually hate it after awhile,” Gavin said.

Since Northland Plaza has been rebuilt, downtown businesses have had concerns about their future but have found relief.

“I was worried mostly about TJ Maxx, but there was no change in sales,” Gavin said. “[Sales] were actually better.”

An aesthetic value also has been placed on the future of the downtown area. The Main Street Program and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce have been discussing ways in which to restore downtown.

“We’ve been coming up with the downtown plan,” said Fosburgh. “We would improve the streetscape, which would restore the old buildings and make things look nicer.”

Sparrow agreed.

“Restoring the downtown area would give it a synergistic effect,” he said.

Even though there was a fluctuation in business, the downtown area is still going strong.

“No businesses have left downtown recently,” Fosburgh said. “They are really the anchors of the community.”