April 10, 2025 — The San Mateo County Coastal Design Review Committee approved a design review permit Thursday for a new 1,694‑square‑foot, two‑story single‑family house with an attached one‑car garage at a legal 5,000‑square‑foot parcel on Valencia Avenue in El Granada.

The committee found the project exempt from environmental review under CEQA Guidelines section 15303 (Class 3), which covers the construction of single‑family residences in residential zones. The decision is not appealable to the California Coastal Commission, the staff report said.

The applicant listed on the staff report was Susanna Bull Bullisher; an individual named Edward C. Love was also identified as applicant‑related in the staff introduction. The project planner on the file was listed as Parker. During the presentation an architect for the project described the house as a modest, modern design that is “very, very orthogonal” with a small backyard patio and an upper balcony that could provide partial ocean views.

Committee members discussed visible elements of the design, including a spiral stair that will be visible through a bay window and the proposed exterior finishes. April Bingham, CDRC member, asked for assurance on the stair finish: “Just to make sure it’s not red,” and the architect said the stair likely would be metal with wood treads and a darker finish to match exterior accents.

Project specifics recorded in the staff description and presentation: a one‑bedroom home with an office on the lower floor, an upside‑down plan with primary living spaces on the upper floor, two skylights, a flat parapet roof, demolition of existing accessory structures, minor grading, and removal of three non‑significant trees. The application was deemed complete on Feb. 11, 2025, according to the staff summary.

The committee took a motion to approve the design review application with no additional conditions. Roll call votes recorded April Bingham and Moshe Porter voting yes; no no votes or abstentions were recorded and the motion passed.

The committee recessed and moved to the next agenda item at 2:15 p.m.

Details about the project file are in the staff report for PLN2024‑00159.