Winnetka residents who missed two June open houses on what should replace the demolished post office at 512 Chestnut St. can now weigh in online through the end of July.

The village announced Wednesday, June 24, that an online survey at helloinput.org/winnetka-post-office-site is accepting responses on design concepts for the downtown site, which sits one block from the Metra UP-N station and adjacent to the Chestnut Court retail corridor.

The survey mimics the in-person open house experience, according to Jodie Mariano of Teska Associates, the planning firm the village hired to run the community engagement process. Options on the table range from leaving the razed site as a vacant lawn to building a four-story mixed-use development with retail, residential units, and underground parking. A one-and-a-half-story restaurant concept falls in between.

At the first open house on Tuesday, June 9, at Village Hall, roughly 60 residents used stickers and Post-it notes to react to each concept, according to The Record North Shore. Mariano said the posters drawing the most interaction were those showing mixed-use proposals.

Not everyone agreed. Resident Teri Lowinger, who attended the June 9 session, said she valued green space and opposed the vacant-lawn-only option, calling it "unimaginative and boring and no trees." Resident David Stevens took the opposite view, saying the space should stay open because the village already has enough commercial property.

Village planning documents have identified the site as a redevelopment opportunity for decades. Trustees voiced support in October 2025 for demolishing the aging building, and the post office relocated to 586 Lincoln Ave. in December 2025. Trustees approved a demolition contract with A Lamp in March 2026, and the building has since been razed.

Once the online survey closes at the end of July, Teska Associates will analyze all community input and narrow the field to one or two top concepts. Those findings are expected to go before the Winnetka Village Council this fall, though no specific meeting date has been set.