A site on the northwest corner of West Hillcrest Drive and Blackhawk Road would be home to the Northern Illinois University Center for Greek Life. (Photo by Jack McCarthy/Chronicle Media)

Plans for Northern Illinois University’s Center for Greek Life remain on hold.

A 2.4-acre land transfer from the City of DeKalb to the NIU Foundation for creation of the center in the Annie Glidden North neighborhood was tabled at a July 8 City Council meeting.

Opposition from one alderman and the absence of others prevented approval by a required six-member supermajority. So, a transfer vote has been delayed until at least Monday, the next scheduled council session.

First Ward Alderman Carolyn Zasada has opposed the plan and said she would vote against a transfer. According to earlier published reports, she said the project does not align with a revitalization plan for the neighborhood.

“I feel that ‘no’ votes should be explained,” she said at the July 8 meeting. “I just don’t believe this is the highest and best use for the community.”

DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes expressed frustration at the turn of events and offered apologies to NIU representatives on hand at the meeting, held at the DeKalb Public Library.

“Alderman Zasada has her reasons, which I completely understand,” Barnes said. “But there are council members like myself, who really believe there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of students that reside in Annie Glidden North and this is a great development opportunity to be able to reinforce the student life that is vibrant in that area and has been there since 1960 when Greek Row was formed.

“But tonight, with two Council members being absent we don’t have the votes to move it forward,” Barnes said.

Council members Tracy Smith and Andre Powell were not on hand due to previous engagements, leaving five voting aldermen plus Barnes, who also had a vote.

Under the proposed agreement, the NIU Foundation would pay $200,000 for the transfer and construction would have to begin within four years.

Initial plans call for building a 10,000- to 12,000-square-foot center that would offer meeting spaces for Greek organizations, study and social lounge space, offices for university staff that serve fraternity and sorority groups, a larger event space and an outdoor courtyard.

The center would centralize many events hosted by fraternities and sororities. NIU estimated that there were 410 events held during the spring 2023 semester in locations scattered around the campus.

The project could cost up to $7 million, according to an NIU report. Fundraising would commence upon transfer of the property.

The site is a vacant lot located on the northwest corner of West Hillcrest Drive and Blackhawk Road that was once home to movie theaters and a retail strip that once featured a bar.

The development is seen as a piece in revitalizing a struggling area. The AGN area is located on the northwest side of DeKalb on both sides of Annie Glidden Road.

“The most significant contribution the university can make to stabilize and improve the AGN

Fraternity and sorority houses are located in the Annie Glidden North neighborhood, north of the Northern Illinois University campus. (Photo by Jack McCarthy/Chronicle Media)

neighborhood is to revitalize its Greek community,” according to an NIU report. “(This) project will enhance the neighborhood’s vitality, bolster student recruitment and retention and spur new investment and activity in the area.”

Participation in Greek organizations has declined in recent years, reflecting the drop in total NIU enrollment from 24,424 in 2004 to 15,504 in September 2023.

A 2022 NIU report found that participation in Greek organizations peaked in the early 1990s with 2,500 members. A 2020-21 survey found fewer than 700 members.