A rendering shows the components of WS Development's large Fenway Corners project. Image courtesy of WS Development

A development project including lab buildings that could bring thousands of biotech workers to a new industry cluster surrounding Fenway Park got the green light from Boston Planning & Development Agency directors.

The Fenway Corners mixed-use project was among 2.4 million square feet of development projects approved at the board’s July meeting, including a 300-room hotel tower in Back Bay and a 17-story apartment tower in Allston.

WS Development is partnering with the Boston Red Sox owners and the D’Angelo family, owners of the Twins Enterprises sports apparel brand, on the $1.6 billion Fenway Corners project. The development will replace warehouses and souvenir shops with eight buildings totaling nearly 2.1 million square feet, including office and lab towers, two residential buildings totaling 266 units on Brookline Avenue, and new ground-floor retail storefronts.

The buildings – ranging in height from two to 19 stories – will be designed with diverse architectural styles, said Yanni Tsipis, senior vice president at WS Development. Jersey Street will be converted into a pedestrian way and host public events throughout the year.

“This will send a message to all Bostonians that this is common ground: a place that people are welcome to linger and hang out and jam,” Tsipis said. “This is a really, really important place.”

In response to public comments, developers agreed to lease ground-floor space in one of the Brookline Avenue buildings for a daycare center for 100 children.

Developers are contributing $10 million toward transportation improvements, including $5 million to reconstruct Brookline Avenue for enhanced pedestrian, bicycle and bus uses. Additional projects will be determined following the completion of the Fenway Kenmore Transportation Access Plan study by city and state agencies.

Thursday’s vote approved only the first 1.6 million square feet of development, with the remaining square-footage subject to review after the transportation plan is completed.

In Back Bay, a historic restaurant site will be expanded with construction of a 21-story hotel tower. Boston-based developer H.N. Gorin will retain the 2-story brick facade of the 39 Stanhope St. building, a former stable now occupied by the Red Lantern restaurant, while constructing a 124,400-square-foot hotel at an estimated cost of $76 million.

In Allston, the first project to anticipate construction of a new regional transit hub will create 254 apartments in a 17-story tower.

The 76 Ashford St. parcel is adjacent to the future site of West Station, a new MBTA commuter rail and bus terminal, envisioned as improving transit access to the transforming neighborhood. A study anticipates 11 million square feet of nearby development in the next 30 years, on parcels made available by the Massachusetts Turnpike realignment.

City Realty, in partnership with developer Rise, agreed to provide dedicated bus and bicycle lanes into the station site, located directly north of the 0.8-acre development parcel. The $150 million project, designed by architects Embarc, calls for a 254,785-square-foot building including 254 apartments, 36 of which would be income-restricted. The project still requires approval of variances from the Zoning Board of Appeal.

In Hyde Park, redevelopment of 735-745 River St. will create 40 housing units in a 5-story building including a ground-floor health center for Hyde Park Health Associates.

Directors also approved a developer’s plans to eliminate the for-sale condominium portion of a Readville multifamily development. Developer Ad Meloria of Boston has been unable to obtain financing for the condos, which would have comprised 151 of the 273 units at The Residences at Readville Station.

Ad Meloria CEO Jan Steenbrugge said the lack of recent condo developments in the neighborhood has delayed the financing for the project at 1717 Hyde Park Ave.

“There is no established condo market in that area at all,” Steenbrugge told the BPDA board. “The market is already skittish. To go into a new area, [lenders] want an established market that proves that people want to take the train to work.”