MBTA representatives held a meeting at the Mattapan Branch Library on Monday evening to discuss the possible redevelopment of a state-owned parking lot next to Mattapan Station. Located on River Street, the site was first offered to potential developers in 2007, but was sidelined after the sub-prime mortgage crisis and subsequent recession beginning in 2008.

Currently, the site is occupied by a 250-space parking lot, which only sees about 10 percent daily use, according to the T. State officials now plan to offer the 2.5 acre lot up for a long-term lease, hoping that a private developer will then build a mixed-use residential and commercial building, similar to the Carruth building that was built as part of a similar public-private arrangement at Ashmont Station in 2006.

The MBTA hopes to issue a “request for proposals” for the Mattapan Square site in the new year. Preliminary plans would either divide the plot in two, with a road for buses to pass through in between, or keep the plot’s dimensions as is, with buses routed around the perimeter.

State Rep. Linda Forry said that the project — if successful— would reinvigorate a corner of Mattapan Square that is currently in need of a visual and commercial boost.

“The Carruth building at Ashmont station — and the accompanying improvements to the plaza area next door— have been a big success in Dorchester, bringing in new restaurants, businesses, and residents,” Forry said in a statement. “Most of all, it’s created a much safer, more inviting feel to the whole Ashmont area. That’s what I hope to see from any future redevelopment along this parcel at River Street. We need to find a development partner willing to work with us to make the investment and to create a project that will complement the major improvements that have already been made there and others that are now in the pipeline.”

According to Mark Boyle, the T’s assistant general manager for development, the MBTA is also consulting with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation to integrate the T’s new development and the proposed Neponset River Greenway extension, which would be built in part through the station.

Boyle also hinted that the development could be a way to alleviate some of the long-standing issues at Mattapan Station, such as a more effective drainage system.

“We will look into it,” he said. “If we can address any of the outstanding issues at the station we will certainly consider it and include it in our [Request for Proposal.]”

T officials also talked of plans to integrate the project with other goings-on in the Mattapan community. The location is the first of four properties owned by the state that are part of the MBTA and Department of Transportation’s Diversity Development Program, aiming to engage businesses owned by minorities and women. Residents attending the meeting also called for a local job fair to encourage the participation of members from the Dorchester/Mattapan community.

“I think it’s a good opportunity to have these new residences and businesses coming in,” said David Eastmond, a Local 7 Ironworker and Mattapan resident. “What we don’t appreciate is when the only people working on these projects are people from outside our community.”

The T will be accepting bids for the Mattapan Station parking lot parcel until late spring 2012 with the final selection anticipated in 2013. The T plans to conduct a community engagement process in the interim to gauge local concerns, though the exact details of such a process have not been decided yet. The T plans to have the Invitation to Bid prepared by the end of December.