It’s time once again to re-evaluate DeKalb’s comprehensive plan.

The plan provides policy blueprints for projects about DeKalb, city planner Ray Keller said. The last plan was written in 1991 and implemented in 1996.

“Every five years, we step back and re-evaluate the plan to make sure it fits the needs of the community,” said Russell Farnum, DeKalb’s principle planner.

Designing the comprehensive plan started in 1956. The plans usually have a 20-year shelf life.

The community has plans that show the desired land uses around the area.

For example, if someone buys property and wants to develop it, the plan shows them what kind of neighborhood that community wants.

“We provide direction or desirable use of the property,” Keller said. “It’s a starting point.”

When a community starts to develop, most of the time the property isn’t owned by the government or city. It’s usually private property.

For instance, if someone owns farmland and wants to build houses, the property owner has to go through several procedures.

If the land lies where factories are owned and someone wants to develop that area for houses, the comprehensive plan will show the area is not suitable for houses.

“It’s not a rule or a law,” Keller said. “It’s just direction of what they can do.”

The plan commission, which has five members who are appointed by the mayor and approved by the city council, looks over every project that needs zoning or sub-division approval.

To make up the comprehensive plan, the commission holds neighborhood meetings and meetings with the DeKalb Park District, schools, NIU and other forms of government agencies.

So far, a meeting with only the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce has taken place.

“We discuss where we want to see things headed and what we want to see happen,” Keller said. “We also talk about what we want to encourage and discourage.”

The meetings could have a general agenda or be applied to specific projects.

There is also an online questionnaire which Keller encourages people to go to at www.cityofdekalb.com. There, residents can share their concerns and views about DeKalb.

Commission members plan to meet with NIU sometime in March. Because the university is an extension of the state, it is outside of the city’s zoning laws. But whatever is in NIU’s campus does affect the community.

Because changes have occurred since 1996 in terms of city council staff, policies, impact fees for schools and parks and stores, the time had come for adjustment, Keller said.

The comprehensive plan usually takes several months to make. In this case, they hope to finish in six months and have the plan written and adopted by July 1.

“It is a long-term plan that is implemented over a period of time,” Farnum said.