DeKALB – Demolition of the building at 203 E. Lincoln Highway, the former home of Diamond
Tour Golf, as part of the $6 million Plaza DeKalb apartment project will begin Monday and is expected to last three weeks, city officials said Friday.
Crews will fence off the area surrounding the property Monday, and physical demolition will begin Tuesday. However, the building is one of four involved in the project and will not be taken down to its studs.
Instead, DeKalb Economic Development planner Jason Michnick said hand demolition will be performed so the building can be reinfirced to support the weight of additional floors.
A structural report had determined that the exterior walls of the building were not sturdy enough to stand the weight on their own, he said.
The DeKalb City Council approved the Plaza DeKalb project in August.
This is the second downtown redevelopment project introduced by developer John Pappas, who also is spearheading the $7.5 million mixed-use Cornerstone DeKalb project scheduled to open in 2018.
Pappas bought the properties at 203, 209, 223 and 229 E. Lincoln Highway for more than $1.2 million with plans to combine them into a mixed-use building with 21 furnished residential suites on three floors above a Mediterranean grocery store.
Of the buildings included in the project, only 209 E. Lincoln, the site of Blu Door Decor, will be fully demolished.
Although Cornerstone has required sidewalk and lane closures on First Street and Lincoln Highway as well as lane closures for a portion of the demolition, Pappas has said there should not be any traffic disruption for the Plaza project.
For information, contact Michnick at 815-748-2365 or jason.michnick@cityofdekalb.com.