BOSTON—The Boston Redevelopment Authority approved nearly $733million in development projects late last week, including the firstphases of the twin-tower Government Center Garage redevelopmentplan.

The largest project to get the green light from the Board ofDirectors of the BRA last Thursday was the $536-million mixed-useGovernment Center Garage redevelopment project. The first phases ofthe plan, proposed by National Real Estate Advisors of Washington,DC and HYM Investment Group of Boston, will feature a residentialand office tower. National Real Estate Advisors, which has aportfolio of $2.5 billion in net assets under management investedin commercial and multifamily real estate, is a subsidiary of theNational Electrical Benefit Fund.

The first phase of the project will when completed feature a486-unit, 480-foot tall residential building designed by CBTArchitects. Also approved by the BRA is the second phase thatinvolves a 1-million square foot, 43-story office building designedby Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. Once construction begins on theoffice tower, the existing Government Center parking garage,completed in 1972, will be demolished. Approximately 1,100-parkingspaces of the existing 2,300-car garage will be retained, envelopedby the office tower and two residential buildings at projectcompletion, according to the project team. The reconfigured garagewill provide parking for the new developments as well as dailyparking, overnight resident parking and event parking.