The City of Windsor wants to redevelop the former W.D. Lowe site.
The city has launched a public survey to gather information from residents on their vision for the former school property on Giles Boulevard East.
Speaking on AM800's Mornings with Mike & Meg, mayor Drew Dilkens says redeveloping the site is part of the city's Housing Solutions Made for Windsor (HSMFW) Initiative.
"We're going to launch the survey to make sure that the Expression of Interest that goes out meets the needs of the neighbourhood and we're sensitive to some of the issues in that particular neighbourhood and then we'll move forward and get the Expression of Interest on the street and see who's interested in helping us build housing on that site," says Dilkens.
In March 2024, the city announced the Housing Solutions Made for Windsor.
The focus of the initiative deals with increasing the supply of housing and meeting aggressive housing targets by identifying and making shovel-ready various municipal lands with high potential for residential development.
Dilkens says the city knows the facade of the building is special.
"It's beautiful right," says Dilkens. "They don't build schools like that anymore. So the facade is something worth protecting and in terms of heritage that's what we're primarily concerned about, is a developer who will exactly protect the facade but redevelop the rest of the five acres and think about the amount of housing who can get on that five acre parcel."
He says the city wants to hear from residents who live in the area.
"They may say don't go more than three storeys or four storeys," he says Dilkens. "They may have limits in their own minds. So we just want to hear what they have to say. We'll incorporate the feedback that makes sense into the Expression of Interest that goes on the street and then we'll keep moving forward.
The survey is now live and will be up until September 16.
The city says "community feedback will help guide the city's planning and will be considered in an upcoming Expression of Interest (EOI) to attract developers interested in revitalizing the property."
Along with the W.D. Lowe site, the former Windsor Arena at 572 McDougall Street, the former Grace Hospital Site at 339 Crawford Avenue, the Caron Avenue Parking Lot, the Pelissier Street Parking Lot, and the Roseland Golf Club Parking Lot are on the list of properties identified as part of the strategy.