A former Boston real estate official agreed to serve up to 57 months in prison after pleading guilty to taking a $50,000 bribe from a developer in exchange for influencing a Boston Zoning Board of Appeals vote.

John Lynch, 67, agreed to the plea bargain during a Thursday hearing in U.S. District Court in Boston. From 2016 until his resignation in August, the 67-year-old Lynch was assistant director of real estate for the Economic Development Industrial Corp., which manages properties owned by the Boston Planning and Development Agency. He previously worked for 20 years at the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development.

Under questioning from Judge Patty Saris, Lynch agreed not to appeal a sentence of up to 57 months. Prosecutor Dustin Chao said the government would not challenge a sentence of 46 months or more. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 24.

Federal prosecutors say Lynch took the bribe to influence a ZBA member’s vote to extend a building permit for a development. No charges have been filed against the ZBA member nor the developer.

Lynch is also charged with failing to report $60,000 he received from the developer on his 2018 tax return. The amount includes an additional $10,000 that Lynch allegedly took from the same developer in 2018 for assistance in the sale of a different property, according to a court filing by prosecutors.

Saris ordered Lynch released on personal recognizance.

“John Lynch saw more value in lowering his ethical standards than raising the profile of Boston as a metropolitan mecca for economic growth and prosperity,” Joseph Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said in a statement issued after Thursday’s hearing.

The charges have prompted Mayor Marty Walsh to order an investigation into the ZBA by former federal prosecutor Brian Kelly, and calls from city councilors to reform the city’s development permitting process.

Councilor Matt O’Malley called for an ombudsman’s office to keep tabs on the ZBA, while Council President Andrea Campbell said the city should create an inspector general position to investigate municipal corruption.