A proposal by St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children to expand their footprint on Jones Hill and offer new housing for low-income families won approval from the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) on Thursday. The project will include renovations to the facility's existing building, housed in the former St. Margaret's Hospital, which provides shelter and services to young parents and their children.

St. Mary’s officially filed its letter of intent with city officials last year and has been under BPDA's Article 80 review process in recent months.

The project will include the demolition of an existing parking garage and another building on the campus to clear the way for a new building that will create 71 new income-restricted housing units for low-income families. Operations at St. Mary's will continue throughout the project, which is expected to create 177 construction jobs.