Mayor Michael Bloomberg won a victory for his development agenda on Thursday when the City Council approved a plan to build hundreds of apartments and thousands of square feet of office and retail space in the heart of Flushing, Queens, one of the city’s most densely populated neighborhoods.

The decision — in a 44-to-2 vote, with 5 abstentions — came on the same day that the Council approved a $1.5 billion plan for a residential development at the site of the former Domino Sugar refinery in Brooklyn. The dual approvals give new life to Mr. Bloomberg’s agenda, which suffered a stinging blow in February when the Council rejected a plan for a mall at the old Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx.

The Queens project, called Flushing Commons, faced hardly any questions from council members, in large part because the councilman who represents the area supported the plan.