BOSTON—An ambitious $400-million plan to revitalize the Andrew Square section of South Boston has secured approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The development will be one of the largest new city housing projects, adding 656 residences to the city's housing stock.

The BRA approved the Washington Village mixed-use plan last week. The development will feature nine new buildings on a nearly five-acre site bounded by Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester Street, and Old Colony Avenue. The project, to be developed by DJ Properties, LLC, will replace a mix of surface parking and vacant light industrial and commercial buildings in the Andrew Square neighborhood of South Boston. The development will total approximately 977,450 square feet and will feature buildings ranging in height from three and four stories to 21 stories.

The project, to be built in three phases, will feature new streets and plazas, a mix of apartments and condominiums, a grocery store, parking for residents and visitors, a 6,000-square-foot public green, and more than 150 new trees. According to the BRA, the retail component of the development will total approximately 99,000 square feet. The project is estimated to create 635 construction jobs.