Photo courtesy of the MCCA

The proposed borrowing and spending bills that included Gov. Charlie Baker’s top priorities will now be advancing, but without his long-held desire to redevelop Boston’s Hynes Convention Center.

Baker sought to use his annual economic development bill as a vehicle to authorize the sale of the Hynes Convention Center and use the proceeds for affordable housing development and neighborhood investments in the Back Bay area.

“Right now, we have a big empty space with millions and millions of square feet and not much goes on there and it’s in a part of the city that is very quiet,” he said in March. “One of the things we would like to engage the legislature on is how to make that space active and vibrant and what that looks like.”

But the state legislature’s Democrat-controlled Economic Development Committee rebuffed that idea. Instead, the committee version of the bill would instruct the state treasurer, auditor and the mayor of Boston to study the feasibility and effects of selling the facility “or if it would be in the best interest of the commonwealth to retain the Hynes convention center and make recommendations on attracting more business and events to the Hynes convention center.”

That group would have until Dec. 31, 2023 to produce its report.

The Hynes site has built potential to accommodate between 2 million and 3 million square feet of redeveloped commercial space, a 2020 audit found. The whole area is in high demand for development across all property types including retail, office and residential.

But not everyone seems to be on board with the selling of the Hynes Center. Hospitality workers at nearby hotels have rallied against the proposed sale in recent days. They argue that selling the Hynes would devastate thousands of workers whose jobs rely on convention visitors. Neighboring business owners, including many hoteliers, have blasted multiple versions of Baker’s proposal as a threat to their businesses.