A small apartment complex with street-fronting retail space could replace two vacant commercial buildings at Wilshire Boulevard and Harvard Street in Santa Monica.

The project, slated for the northwest corner of the intersection, would consist of a two-story structure featuring nine studio apartments - including one low-income unit - with 2,495 square feet of ground-floor retail.  Plans also call for 18 parking spaces, to be located at grade and in one basement level.

DFH Architects is designing the contemporary low-rise structure, which would be clad in materials including charred cedar siding and vermillion-colored stucco.  A rendering depicts the building with an undulated, pitched roof that gives way to an outdoor deck overlooking Wilshire Boulevard.  The image shows bank HSBC as the property's retail tenant.

The property owner and project applicant is listed as The Megdal Companies, a real estate development firm.

The project was scheduled for consideration at the August 19 meeting of the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board.  A staff report recommended that the Board should approve the project.