DeKalb city leaders have signed off on giving up public control of a stretch of Challenger Drive so that Nehring Electric, a manufacturer of electrical transmission and distribution wire, can push its Peace Road building northward. The DeKalb City Council voted unanimously to support the move, clearing the way for continued growth at the company's facility at 1085 N. Peace Road.
According to northernstar.info, the vacated Challenger Drive right-of-way spans roughly 1 acre, though a separate report from 1023thecoyote.net put the figure at about 1.365 acres. The segment runs from Peace Road across the north end of the Nehring Electric building, and the city said abandoning the roadway would help support the company's building expansion.
A Roadway That Never Really Acted Like One
Challenger Drive was established as a public roadway by the city in 1997 in connection with development of the former Challenger plant, which was originally intended to assemble farm machinery before it was repurposed as a warehouse for Ryerson Steel.
Nehring Electric has since acquired a 32-acre parcel north of the road and plans to eventually expand its facility northward while maintaining its existing access from Peace Road, per the same account from 1023thecoyote.net. City officials said the change will support continued industrial development and manufacturing employment in DeKalb.
City Manager Addresses Cambria Street Concerns
City Manager Bill Nicklas said the city has no intention of extending Challenger Drive onto nearby Cambria Street, addressing a question that appears to have come up as officials weighed the vacation. Nicklas also said Nehring Electric has helped strengthen DeKalb's manufacturing sector over the last five years, according to northernstar.info's report on the meeting.
Improvements at the Nehring Electric building were still underway as of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, and the facility is expected to be operational in early 2027, according to city documents referenced by Shaw Local. The council's approval effectively removes a bureaucratic hurdle standing between the company and its next phase of growth on the north side of its existing plant.
Two Council Members Missed the Vote
DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes was absent from the meeting due to a home accident, with Sixth Ward Alderperson Mike Verbic filling in as chair in his place, the northernstar.info report noted. Second Ward Alderperson Barb Larson was also absent, meaning the unanimous vote came from the council members who were present rather than the full body.
Vacating Challenger Drive involves surrendering a public roadway. For DeKalb, the practical upshot is straightforward: the change supports Nehring Electric's future expansion on the north side of its existing plant.
