San Mateo County design committee backs garage-and-ADU project in El Granada
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Summary
The county Design Review Committee recommended approval of a design review permit for a new 443 sq. ft. garage with a 608 sq. ft. accessory dwelling unit below it at 172 El Granada Boulevard and found the project categorically exempt under CEQA guidelines section 15303(a).
The San Mateo County Design Review Committee on March 13 recommended approval of a design review permit for a new garage with an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) below it at 172 El Granada Boulevard in El Granada.
The committee’s recommendation covers construction of a new 443-square-foot garage and a 608-square-foot ADU beneath it for an existing three-story, 1,902-square-foot single-family house on an 11,294-square-foot legal parcel. County staff advised the committee the project is categorically exempt from environmental review under California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15303(a). Kanoa Kelly is listed as the project planner and the application was deemed complete Jan. 6, 2025.
The project team described the proposal as a modest intervention that removes an existing carport in the front setback, improves street-facing landscaping and breaks up the house’s massing by separating the new garage/ADU from the primary residence. Tom, the property owner, said the existing carport creates a safety hazard when backing onto El Granada Boulevard and that the new garage will provide safer vehicle access. Kristen Ridgeway, the project architect, said the ADU and garage together are modest in scale relative to the lot and that the design intentionally aligns materials and roof forms with the existing house.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about scope and plan details. A committee member confirmed that recent window and siding replacements on the main house had already been completed and therefore are not part of this discretionary review. Drainage and stormwater treatment were noted as items that would be reviewed elsewhere in the county’s permitting process.
After the committee’s discussion and no public speakers for the item, committee member Mark Denn moved to recommend the design review permit and to find the project categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines section 15303(a). The motion passed on a roll-call vote (Mark Denn: yes; Moshe Porter: yes). The committee’s recommendation and the exempt determination will be forwarded to county staff for the formal decision letter. The committee noted the ADU is ministerial for planning purposes but reviewed the design-only aspects under the county’s design guidelines.
Because the committee’s action is a recommendation and the project planner’s determination is a county-level decision, the committee recorded that the project is not appealable to the California Coastal Commission and that any appeal of the county decision would follow the county’s appeal rules.
The committee did not attach conditions to its recommendation. The project record will include the committee’s findings and the CEQA exemption citation when the county issues its formal letter of decision.
