A nondescript commercial building at 15th Street and Broadway in Santa Monica will be converted into office space with street-fronting retail, according to plans that were presented this week to the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board.

Red Car Properties, the Los Angeles-based real estate firm behind the project, is planning a 1,172-square-foot, one-story addition to the building, which was most recently home to a business selling automotive and industrial paint.  The proposed development would result in approximately 6,029 square feet of rentable office space and just under 700 square feet of ground-floor restaurant space.

RAC Design Build has created a contemporary look for the expansion, with an exterior of unpainted wood, steel, and concrete.

A staff report to the ARB recommended that the project should be approved.

Red Car, which is headquartered in Chinatown, specializes in rehabilitating existing buildings in similar form to 1501 Broadway.