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Rezoning plans for downtown Boston and the Mattapan neighborhood moved forward in a strategy designed to encourage post-pandemic reinvestment and housing production.

The PLAN: Mattapan legalizes accessory dwelling units in the neighborhood, including separate structures built outside the footprint of existing homes.

The rezoning also creates two new base zoning districts for the neighborhood, one of which allows up to two dwellings per lot, and a second which authorizes three-family dwellings.

The Boston Planning & Development Agency board of directors approved the plan Thursday. The Boston Zoning Commission is scheduled to vote on the zoning changes Jan. 10.

The PLAN: Downtown initiative increases base building heights to 400 feet along the Washington Street corridor, encouraging redevelopment of underutilized buildings and creation of additional density through mixed-use projects and additional housing.

Specifics of the downtown rezoning will be proposed in three phases during 2024, starting with new guidelines for property uses designed to encourage new business and entertainment venues in the downtown area, followed by new rules for housing developments. A final phase will focus on changes to zoning in Chinatown.

Under the proposal, downtown developments will be eligible for density bonuses as a trade-off for creating more housing, open space and improving transportation networks.

In October, the city launched an office-to-residential conversion program which enables downtown landlords to apply for tax breaks.