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From parking lots to libraries, the city is looking to new avenues to bring more affordable housing to the market as Boston's housing crisis remains a top priority.
The Mayor's Office of Housing released a request for proposals this week for the redevelopment of the Boston Public Library's West End Branch. The city envisions a mixed-use development of up to 10 stories with a new library on the first floor and new affordable housing units on top, the Boston Globe first reported.
The discussion of the future of the West End Branch began in the fall of 2021, with subsequent meetings taking place in the summer of 2022. At the end of April, the city is scheduled to hold an applicant conference regarding the proposals from developers interested in the site.
In October, the city began drafting the development objectives for the site, which included bringing on more affordable units and working with the Boston Housing Authority to add more deeply affordable units. Residents expressed interest in making sure the development doesn't overshadow the Otis House, the last surviving mansion in West End's Bowdoin Square.
Other details of the type of development officials and the public want are still up in the air, but a basic foundation has been set, including a development height between five and 10 stories and a 17K SF library that could span the first two floors.
The West End Branch isn't the only one looking to expand library properties to more uses than just reading.
Last April, the Boston Planning & Development Agency designated the Asian Community Development Corp. to develop the city-owned Parcel R-1 into 100 units of affordable housing and a new permanent Chinatown branch of the city's library.
The city is also considering the redevelopment of two existing branches in Fields Corner and Egleston Square, the Globe reported. However, complaints about aging infrastructure have stood in the way of those plans.
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