A development that will see a new public library branch situated below 33 units of workforce housing at 555-559 Columbia Rd. in Uphams Corner will receive $4.95 million in city funding, according to Boston officials who announced the grant last week as part of an overall $64.2 million commitment that will assist in the construction of another 11 projects across the city.

“For us, it’s an endorsement of a concept and partnership between all parties,” said Taylor Bearden of Civico Development of what’s called ‘housing with public assets.’ “This is the culmination of 10 years of planning for a concept we can all get behind. It is an important step in a continuum but it’s also not the only important step of many…We’ve done a lot of pre-development work, and now we switch to doing the actual work of development.”

The project is located on city-owned property that includes the old Dorchester Trust Co. building and a parking lot, both adjacent to the Strand Theatre. It will include the affordable homeownership units with three-bedrooms and studios for those in the 80 percent or 100 percent AMI categories.

The ground-floor library will be delivered as a shell, with Boston Public Library architects working with Civico to build out the indoor space. The city put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) in 2022, and Civico beat out one other party to win the developer designation.

Bearden said he couldn’t yet set a timeline for construction, but noted the funding allows them to start working towards a second public meeting. The library “aspect is really more exciting now and that’s because every year on this project I’m reminded that libraries are one of the totally equitable spaces in our cities,” he said. “I think it is a unique privilege to be able to participate in a project that creates that kind of public space and enables the construction of affordable homeownership at the same time.”

Nicole Mack, executive director of the nearby Conservatory Lab School, said the new branch is sorely needed.

“We know first-hand what brand-new facilities can do for energizing learning and amplifying pride,” he said. “We are excited that our students will have access to a new library building with a handsome, historic facade.”

Boston Chief of Housing Sheila Dillon noted that the Uphams project is one of three housing/library projects now planned in the city. The other two are in the West End and in Chinatown.

“These were all directly responding to the neighborhood calling for us to do housing with a library,” said Dillon. “It is a very, very compatible use. We need housing and people want to live close to a library. It works for homeownership and for rentals. We’ve made sure in all three projects that there are sufficient numbers of family units. You can just imagine how wonderful it would be for a family on a snowy Saturday to spend a few hours downstairs in the library, and then walk back upstairs to their home.”

All the new construction projects funded in this round will be required to follow the Zero Emissions Building (ZEB), and new developments will use electricity and on-site solar panels as their sole fuel source.