The Healey administration announced yet another plan to redevelop the Charles F. Hurley and Erich Lindemann buildings last week, after the existing plan could not be sufficiently financed.

In contrast to the old plan, which would have turned the Hurley building into a life science office and laboratory space, the administration said in a press release that it would aim to create a residential mixed-use space with both buildings.

“Part of what has driven the administration is that they needed a new office building,” said State Representative Jay Livingstone who represents Beacon Hill. “The last process was driven in part by the office needs of the state. Because of the state of repair, it’s my understanding that no state worker is working there, and so the offices are deserted.

Now, the state doesn’t need any offices from that development, which opens up the opportunity for residential development.”

While the Hurley building is currently unoccupied, the Lindemann Center serves as a residential facility for the Department of Mental Health. Any new development would need to refurbish both buildings.

“The Administration’s redevelopment of this state-owned site will address Massachusetts’s urgent need for housing while prioritizing historic preservation and driving commercial vitality,” the administration’s press release read.

The brutalist concrete complex was designed by architect Paul Rudolph and spans over 500,000 square feet. “The site remains architecturally significant due to its unique mid-century design,” the administration’s press release stated.

“The developer that was picked two years ago, they just didn’t have a viable project,” Livingstone said. “There’s an opportunity to start over and I’m excited to participate in that. I think it would be greatly beneficial to the area to have more housing, which is a great need in the city. Addressing long-time maintenance issues regarding the Hurley at the same time would be tremendous.”

Residents do not feel that the building’s current state is welcoming or suitable for a mixed-use residential development.

“We were heavily involved in commenting on the prior plan, and we had concerns about that prior plan in that it didn’t seem to take into account a number of the existing issues with this space,” said Colin Zick, president of the Beacon Hill Business Association. “Its overall mass scale, its state of disrepair, it's not a very user-friendly space. It doesn’t invite people in. So we’re hopeful that it’s something that activates the space.”

Zick pointed to other successful endeavors to build housing around Boston. “If you look at 100 Cambridge Street, where there was the bridge, I think that's worked quite well as a way of bringing in much needed additional housing,” he said. “It’s got a decent streetscape there.”

“If you want to see what doesn’t work, look over at City Hall Plaza. Despite all the efforts they’ve made to enliven that space, it’s still not a space that people want to go to. It’s not a space that people want to use.”

The administration says it will engage with the local community before it begins seeking developers.