BOSTON, MA The Boston Redevelopment Authority Board of Directors approves the plan for Washington Village, a mixed-use community to replace an unused industrial site near Andrew Square in South Boston, Massachusetts, with 656 residences, retail and commercial space, 2.4 acres of new public realm, and fresh connections to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Washington Village, recalling the 19th century name for the same area at Old Colony Avenue and Dorchester Street near Dorchester Avenue, will turn five acres of vacant buildings into a vibrant eight-block community with live, shop, and play features for residents of the neighborhood.

DJ Properties LLC, developer of Washington Village, has been in conversation and collaboration with the Andrew Square Neighborhood Association and others in the local community for six years, assessing what they desire for the mostly abandoned industrial blocks.

Washington Village, when completed over three phases, will fulfill that vision with new streets and plazas, apartments and condominiums with some affordable units and many aimed at middle-income families, a grocery store, parking for residents and visitors, a 6,000-square-foot public green, and more than 150 new trees.

The project is in keeping with the goals of the administration of Mayor Martin J. Walsh to add much-needed housing to the city and to do it in particular in areas where public transportation is available. The Boston Redevelopment Authority is currently advancing the public process to rezone the Dorchester Avenue corridor from Andrew Square to Broadway Stations on the MBTA's Red Line.

"After working with and listening to the community in and around Andrew Square for more than five years, we have a project that we think will be a huge improvement to the neighborhood in many ways, from the new middle-class homes, to places to shop and eat, and in addition a large place for people to meet," said David Pogorelc, a Partner of DJ Properties. "The goal is to bring economic vitality to Andrew Square by creating a walkable neighborhood with community-focused businesses, improving the overall quality of life for residents of the Andrew Square and nearby neighborhoods."

The architect for the development is Prellwitz Chilinski Associates Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts.