Another former school site in Windsor is up for new housing.

The City of Windsor has issued an expression of interest for the former Concord Elementary School property at 6700 Raymond Avenue in Riverside, right behind Farrow Riverside Miracle Park. Developers now have a chance to propose what gets built there.

Quick Facts

• Property: the former Concord Elementary School site
• Address: 6700 Raymond Avenue, Riverside (Ward 6), Windsor, Ontario
• Size: approximately 0.90 hectares (2.23 acres)
• Zoning: residential
• Program: the sixth property offered under the City’s Housing Solutions Made for Windsor strategy
• Deadline for proposals: Wednesday, November 18

What We Know So Far

The City is now accepting development proposals for the site. It’s the sixth City-owned property made available under Housing Solutions Made for Windsor, a strategy that offers municipal land for residential development to increase the housing supply.

According to Mayor Drew Dilkens, the City bought the property from the public school board in 2018 and demolished the school to make way for housing. The site is surrounded by a park and existing homes, and the City says it has held many public consultations along the way.

The Catch: What’s Under the Ground

There’s one big factor that will shape what gets built here. A large trunk sewer runs underneath the property. Mayor Dilkens says that on about half of the site, you can’t even build a basement, which naturally limits the types of housing that make sense.

The City has also said it wants whatever is built to be compatible with the neighbourhood and not too intrusive for the surrounding residents.

Why This Matters

This is the part I find most interesting as a real estate professional in Windsor-Essex.

Infill sites like this one already have roads, services, a park and an established neighbourhood around them. That makes them one of the most efficient ways for a city to add housing without building out on the edges.

At the same time, the sewer constraint means this probably won’t be a high-density project. Developers will need to get creative with lower-impact housing that fits the area, and it will be interesting to see what kinds of proposals come in.

What This Says About Windsor

Concord joins other City-owned sites being offered for housing, including the former W.D. Lowe Secondary School site, the Caron Avenue and Pelissier Street parking lots, and the Roseland Golf Club parking lot. Windsor is clearly putting its own land to work to help with housing supply.

What Happens Next

Proposals are due Wednesday, November 18. After that, the City will review the submissions. We’ll share what’s proposed once those details become public.

Final Thoughts

What would you like to see built on the old Concord school site? Send this to someone in Riverside who remembers the school. They’ll definitely have an opinion.

Thinking about buying, selling or investing in Windsor-Essex real estate? Reach out to the Lalovich Real Estate team. We’d be happy to help.

Details based on reporting from AM800 (Rusty Thomson) and CTV News Windsor.