A 16,452-square-foot parcel of vacant land on Federal Street will be the site for the new Carnegie Library on the North Side, replacing the Allegheny branch damaged by lightning in April.

The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority board voted unanimously yesterday to convey three lots at 1210 Federal St. for the new library to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for $1.

No timetable has been set for construction, but the URA action allows the library to move ahead with planning for the new branch. Director Barbara K. Mistick said her goal is to restore library service to the North Side as quickly as possible.

The Allegheny branch has been closed since April when lightning struck the clock tower of the historic North Side building that houses it. The four-story Richardsonian Romanesque building was the first of steel maker Andrew Carnegie's libraries to open.

Although the Carnegie plans to repair the city-owned building, it no longer intends to use it as a library, concentrating instead on getting the new one built. The library had considered opening an interim location but found the time and cost involved would be nearly as much as building new, spokeswoman Trina Walker said.

Several people spoke against the move at yesterday's board meeting, arguing that the library should remain at its present location for historical and practical reasons.

Stephen Pietzak said the branch is the first publicly supported Andrew Carnegie library in the country and should not only be preserved but should become a showcase for the city.

"The new proposed Allegheny library site at [1210] Federal Street will isolate the library even further than it is now. This new location will not be on the way to anything for most North Siders and it begs serious safety issues for children," he said. "This is a bad location for a new library."

Ms. Mistick said the Federal Street site is near an Allegheny General Hospital medical complex and a new housing development expected to break ground this fall. She said it also has better transit access than the current location and is, in fact, closer for most library users.

"I think it could be a very exciting location for us to be in," she said.

Another speaker, Glenn Walsh, expressed concern about the fate of the current library building, pointing out that the old Hazelwood branch building remains empty after the library moved to a new location. He said the library should hold a public hearing to get input before moving.

Ms. Mistick and URA officials said the Hazlett Theatre and a city-run senior center will remain in the North Side building even after the library moves out. Ms. Mistick said she already has had extensive meetings with North Side community and civic groups on the move and will continue to do so during the planning process.

No cost estimate for the new library has been established. Repairs to the current building are expected to run several million dollars.

Before the formal sale and transfer of the Federal Street lots to the Carnegie, the URA board must approve plans for the new library. Although the Allegheny branch is closed, librarians have continued to serve schools and day care centers in the area.