The AM/PM Mini Mart has been built but not the accompanying apartment complex approved two years. That’s why the Ceres Planning Commission on Monday approved keeping alive plans to build 58 units of apartments for another two years.

Building has been stifled because of high interest rates.

In May 2022, the Raja Chandi Group, Inc. of Turlock won approval to build a 58-unit apartment complex and the 4,000-square-foot AM/PM Mini-Mart at the northwest corner of Morgan and Service Road. To make the projects happen, planners approved splitting a 4.85-acre site into four different parcels – three for the apartment complex and one for the store facing Service Road.

The proposal was originally approved with more apartments and an 8,000-square-foot retail building but the project was not realized because of the COVID lockdown and its chilling effect on finding a tenant.

Monday’s action keeps the approval current until May 2026. The developer wants to build two- to three-bedroom units situated in 18 two-story buildings containing two to four units each. The complex proposes an attached one-car garage for each unit and one 640-square-foot office building.

The developer must provide 127 parking spaces to serve the tenants and the guests. Additionally, the management will be required to have tenants sign a rental agreement that forbids them to use the garage for anything but the parking of a vehicle.

Once constructed, the apartments would primarily be accessed from Tranquil Lane and Morgan Road while one on Service Road will be reserved as emergency vehicle access only.