Batavia seeks proposals to redevelop riverside property

Batavia is seeking a developer to buy a site on the east bank of the Fox River and build a mixed-use development.

The city put out a request for proposals Wednesday for the former Larson-Becker Co. property on North River Street.

The .68-acre property is now a parking lot. It is used mostly when the Batavia Farmers Market has its outdoor season on North River.

The city bought the former well-and-pump factory site for $1.25 million in 2016 and razed the buildings. At the time, the city planned to use it for parking while the proposed One North Washington development was under construction at River and Wilson streets. That controversial, multiuse, six-story building never came to fruition.

Batavia is seeking proposals up to four stories tall. It wants commercial space on the ground floor.

Proposals are due Dec. 22.

“This location offers a prime opportunity for a creative, high-quality redevelopment that complements the energy of downtown Batavia,” said Anthony Isom Jr., Batavia’s economic development manager, in a city news release. “The city is eager to collaborate with a developer that shares our vision of a thriving, walkable, and historically rooted community.”