A proposal for a new 3-story, 30-unit apartment building on River Street won approval from the Boston Planning and Development Agency last Thursday. The income-restricted rental units for senior citizens will be built on what is now vacant, city-owned land at 150 River St, which has been empty since the demolition of a closed nursing home in 2013.

The units are sized for single and two-person elderly households ages 62 and older, according to the BPDA, which hailed the project as “consistent with the goals outlined in PLAN: Mattapan, including supporting inclusive and equitable development with an emphasis on affordable housing opportunities.”

The 42,140-square foot building will also feature a community room and a publicly accessible shade garden, along with 12 on-site parking spaces for residents, visitors, and management staff.

The proponents of the project are the Planning Office for Urban Affairs— an affiliate of the archdiocese of Boston— and Mattapan-based Caribbean Integration Community Development. The estimated cost of the new construction is $12.4 million.