The Antique Mall on Broadway.

The owner of the Antique Mall, located at 726 Broadway, plans to turn the second-floor space formerly used as a hotel into six apartments.

The addition would include one two-bedroom, two one-bedroom and three studio apartments. The building has three existing one-bedroom apartments.

Matt Johnson of Lift Architecture, on behalf of owners One Ten Holdings LLC, sought a variance and conditional use approval to convert the space at the Feb. 7 meeting of the Planning Commission.

A 2019 zoning ordinance changed the number of parking spaces required for apartments, Jeff Flory, the city of Seaside’s community development director, said.

Prior to 2019, two spaces were required for each unit. Since the code’s revision, the number of spaces needed is determined by the number of bedrooms in each apartment, he said.

The owners of the Antique Mall also own the neighboring building and lot. With the planning variance they will have enough parking spaces to meet the requirement for 11 new parking spaces.

Spaces must remain dedicated for use by tenants.

A deed restriction, among conditions, will prohibit the lots from being sold separately so that the parking cannot be separated from the apartments.

“We wouldn’t want to see the approval of this project, and then two years down the road the last piece sold separately and no longer have parking for the intended use pursuant to this application,” Flory said.

Comments from the Seaside Department of Public Works and the fire department showed the need to remove curbing in the alleyway behind the building in order to allow access to larger vehicles like fire trucks or garbage trucks.

Flory also recommended that the damaged sidewalk in the front of the building be repaired as a condition of approval.

Planning commissioners unanimously approved the application for a variance, with parking, deed restriction, landscaping and other conditions.