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Mangoz Bar & Lounge on Barnum Ave., in Stratford, Conn. July 27, 2022.

A rendering shows a proposed second-story addition with a half-dozen apartments to a Barnum Avenue building that is currently home to a restaurant.

STRATFORD — The owner of a Barnum Avenue building is seeking the town’s approval to build a floor with a half-dozen apartments on top of the existing single-story structure.

Now Entity Inc., the owner of 2152 Barnum Ave., which is currently home to Mangoz Bar & Lounge, plans to add six one- and two-bedroom apartments to the commercial building, according to an application submitted to the town.

Nicholas Owen, the owner’s representative, has argued the proposed apartments could help support local businesses along the thoroughfare by increasing the number of potential customers.

“We feel adding some residential to this piece will bring more residential and some pedestrian traffic there at night,” Owen told the Stratford Architectural Review Board earlier this year.

As it currently stands, the cramped 0.26-acre lot is home to a 4,400-square-foot restaurant, a detached 900-square-foot single-unit residence and a handful of parking spaces. Before welcoming Mangoz, the larger building housed a nail salon, pizza parlor and Ray’s Grill, a spot that was once popular with bikers.

Aris W. Stalis, a landscape architect working on the project, said the proposed second floor would be constructed using a pre-engineered steel frame held up by newly-built masonry piers.

“In reality, it will be a second building on top of an existing building,” Stalis said. “So structurally, they will be separate.”

Floor plans show the six apartments — three one-bedroom units and three two-bedroom units — would range between nearly 700 and 1,170 square feet. They would be accessible by an elevator and staircase that would lead to a New Orleans-inspired galley at the rear of the building.

Stalis said the building will be able to remain open and occupied during the construction of the second floor. He said the new floor will be clad in lightweight stucco and decorative vegetation will be planted around the perimeter of the property.

The town’s architectural review board endorsed the proposal at its February meeting, but suggested the developers re-evaluate the siding chosen for the upper floor and add additional lighting to the property.

“I actually like the building and the proposed addition you’re putting on. I think the rhythm and the scale and the proportions are nice,” said board member Tom Szarkowicz, who also urged the developers to add siding that matches other nearby residential buildings.

Owen, who declined to comment, is seeking a variance for the project from the Stratford Zoning Board of Appeals, which is scheduled to consider the application at its 7 p.m. meeting on Tuesday. If approved, Owen intends to then file a separate petition to the zoning commission, the application states.