Councillors have backed moves to develop the key Preston Barracks site in Brighton, creating more than 1,100 jobs.
The plan for the barracks, off Lewes Road, would also create 260 homes, 110 of them low-cost.
It will include a shop, fitness centre and cafes or bars.
The development brief and planning guidance for the site have won the backing of members of Brighton and Hove City Council's environment committee.
Labour councillor Brian Fitch said: "We have been trying to get hold of this prime site for about 30 years.
"This will be one of the biggest schemes for job creation in the city and will create hundreds of homes, many of them affordable."
Tory councillor Garry Peltzer Dunn said: "It is an imaginative scheme and the way forward."
The site was bought by the council last year. The next stage is picking a developer for the multi-million-pound project.
A decision is expected by November.
The scheme is a joint project between the city council, the Brighton and Hove regeneration project and the South-East England Development Agency.
Friday June 13, 2003
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