Baker wants hearing to explore siting libraries in new mixed-use buildings

City Councillor Frank BakerCity Councillor Frank BakerCity Councillor Frank Baker will seek a City Council hearing to explore ways to integrate public libraries into new mixed-use buildings as the city’s building boom goes into high gear.

“I’m looking to get new libraries and put them in larger buildings,” said Baker, who filed a hearing order on Tuesday that will be discussed at tomorrow’s regularly scheduled council meeting. “It may only be workable at two or three sites, but I want to look at the opportunities now and the feasibility. It’s being done in other cities like Washington DC, San Fransisco and Dallas. We want to talk about it because we have to come up with an alternative.”

Baker said he is interested, for example, in whether a new BPL branch might be sited within an mixed-use development on the site of the current Boston Globe, which is now on the market.

“My thought on it is to integrate libraries with housing,” said Baker, who lives in Savin Hill, a Dorchester village that does not have a library branch. “Honestly, I would like to have a library that I could walk to and I think I think its time for Dorchester to start demanding more and get more services, so we have things we can walk to.”

Baker said he expects that his library hearing would be assigned to his committee on Housing for a date before the end of the year. Baker has also filed an order to seek a public hearing to discuss potential changes to the city’s charter. Baker was designated to lead a special council committee on Charter Reform earlier this year.

“My thought is that we’ll hold one hearing this and then go right into a working session,” he said.

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