One of the biggest development projects proposed for West Oakland, a massive transit village, received a planning permit from the city Wednesday.

The development of 500 Kirkham St., an empty Caltrans lot, is one step closer to being built. It will include more than 1,000 apartments and 59 parking spaces, as well as space for retail, parks and offices. The development will also include the building of two streets and a 33-story tower.

“We are excited by the scope of the project, and chance to implement our ideas for better cities on such a large scale,” said Patrick Kennedy, owner of Panoramic Interests. “But most important, we hope to contribute to the rebuilding of this historic neighborhood and recreate something as uniquely Oakland as the musical Mecca that once existed here before.”

The planning permit is the first step in moving the project forward and allows for the developers to apply for the permits they need, said Autumn King, a spokeswoman for the city.

The city will next have to approve the project’s disposition and development agreement, expected in the fall, and the project could break ground in early 2020, Kennedy said.

The project features a seven-story building, an eight-story building and a 23-story high-rise that will have 1,032 apartments ranging from two to five bedrooms. Eighty-five of those units are affordable housing units for families earning less than 50% of the area’s median income.

Approval of the permit comes after some delay. In 2017, the project included only seven parking spaces for a development that would become home to at least 3,000 people. Since then, Kennedy said he worked with city staff on redesigns to increase the amount of parking, but only slightly to 59 spaces.

Kennedy said he hopes that the access to the West Oakland BART station, less than a quarter mile away, will encourage residents to utilize public transit, or that they will use ride-hailing options like Uber and Lyft.

So far, 7th West, an arts venue owned and operated by Oakland locals, is 500 Kirkham St.’s only tenant and will provide “the DNA for a new, uniquely Oakland neighborhood,” Kennedy said. The area near the development, a once-thriving black neighborhood with a vibrant jazz and blues scene, went through an economic decline during the construction of the BART station in the 1970s.

Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney previously said her staff has worked closely with developers to ensure the vitality of the neighborhood.

“We are hopeful that they will be able to hold the values of our community,” she said.

Kennedy’s project isn’t the only development coming to the area. At 1451 Seventh St., China Harbour Engineering Co. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance won approval in February to break ground on three buildings on BART property, one of them 320 feet high. The structures will include office and retail space.

Holliday Development was approved in December for a permit to build 316 residential units, coupled with office and industrial space, at 801 Pine St.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani