Berwyn officials ask public what to do with city-owned Windsor and Stanley properties as staff readies RFPs

City officials asked aldermen on Tuesday to give direction on how to redevelop two blocks of city-owned property in the Depot District, including 6800–6804 Windsor Avenue and three former industrial buildings at 6609–6639 Stanley Street, and said staff will finish draft requests for proposals and circulate them to aldermen for feedback.

The discussion centered on balancing transit-oriented, mixed-use development with parking, financing and neighborhood impacts. "The comprehensive plan states for this area is that we should be promoting high density, mixed use walkable transit oriented design because of the proximity to the metro station," said David Halsberg of Bruin Development Corporation, the staff presenter.

The two properties present different physical constraints and opportunities. Halsberg said the Windsor Avenue building, built about 1930, is five stories and roughly 47,000 square feet plus a basement of about 12,500 square feet and "appears to be very solid." He noted the building lost its grandfathered nonconforming status when it sat vacant more than a year and that reoccupancy will trigger parking requirements tied to the proposed use. "If you are doing apartments…