The sign posted outside the Dairy Queen in Decatur. Photo by: Dan Whisenhunt

Owners of the Decatur Dairy Queen are close to an agreement that will ensure the beloved restaurant will return once new apartments are built on the current DQ site.

Lyn Menne, Decatur’s Assistant City Manager in charge of Community and Economic Development, told the March 6 Decatur 101 class that she expects the DQ will return. She received a couple of questions about it during her presentation.

The DQ is owned by the Momin family and the apartments are being built by Centro Development.

“If they haven’t signed the lease, they’re pretty close to getting that lease signed,” Menne said. “They are going back into that project.”

The 210 unit Trinity Triangle apartment development will open in the next 15 to 18 months.

The Momins said Menne and the city talked them out of buying the property outright in 2006. The restaurant closed on Feb. 22 and at the time the Momins weren’t totally sure if they’d return.

Menne said the city had worked closely with the Momins to help them reopen their store.

“My tombstone is going to read, ‘The Woman who killed Dairy Queen,'” Menne said, referring to the controversy surrounding her role in the deal.

But Menne said the city worked hard to find the Momins alternative locations. She said the city was even willing to allow the DQ to have a drive-through service window.

“We really wanted (Nisar Momin) to move,” Menne said. “We wanted him closer to the high school. He was adamant that he would not move. We had one place where we might’ve been able to squeak in a drive through. Even though we don’t allow them anymore, we would’ve broken the rules for him.”