Evanston is seeking developers to turn a storage facility into a dining or entertainment destination, the city announced Friday.

Responses to an online Request for Qualifications, which the city will use to determine whether applicants are an appropriate fit for the project, are due May 15.

The building at 2222 Oakton St. was previously Evanston’s recycling center and currently stores city equipment. The 13,000-square-foot building sits on slightly less than 1 acre of property.

“The residents of Evanston have expressed strong desires for an active use for the space to include a bowling alley, arcade, or large restaurant venue,” Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl and Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) said in the RFQ. “The high roof and large land area make it an ideal location for a unique redevelopment opportunity.”

Groot Industries, the state’s largest solid-waste management service, made an unsolicited proposal earlier this month to purchase or lease the facility long-term. Rainey objected to that potential deal at the March 16 City Council meeting.

“Over my dead body will Groot own that recycling center,” Rainey said at the meeting.

Rainey earlier expressed her “grave concern” that Groot had been charging Evanston more for its services than other municipalities. In addition to the proposal to purchase, Groot offered to not increase the residential refuse rate for 2016, which would save the city $50,000.

City Council decided to close the recycling center in 2010, replacing its use with a curbside recycling program through which Groot provided multi-family dwellings and businesses with a free recycling cart.

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