The Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn stands to be converted to hold hundreds of units of housing after the city designated three large former industrial buildings at the site as landmarks today.

The three buildings will be at the center of a planned complex of 2,100 apartments. A private developer is seeking to rezone and reinvent the site, building four towers of 30 and 40 stories.

The decision by the city’s Landmarks and Preservation Commission this afternoon will likely preserve the 19th century former sugar plant along the East River for decades to come.

“Sugar was king in Brooklyn, and this plant was the crown,” the chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, Robert Tierney, said at a hearing today. “I think it furthers the city’s commitment to preserving industrial history.”

Though regulations against altering the exterior of landmarked buildings will increase costs, the developers, Community Preservation Corporation Resources, praised the decision.

“We look forward to transforming a site that has been walled off for a hundred years into a showpiece of affordable housing and park-like waterfront access for all,” the CEO of the corporation, Michael Lappin, said in a statement.

The proposed development requires approval of the City Planning Commission and City Council. It has yet to start the lengthy public review process.