Settlement reached in appeal over unpermitted garage at 2455 Carson Street; council informed

The Redwood City Council was informed on May 4 that staff and the owner of 2455 Carson Street reached a tentative settlement in an appeal of a February 25, 2026 administrative citation for unpermitted garage construction.

Edward Lowe, special counsel to staff from the law firm Jarvis Fay, read the settlement terms into the record. Lowe said the owner, Stephen Burns, is willing to remove the unpermitted garage addition and pursue legalization of the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) conversion subject to specified conditions. In exchange, staff agreed to rescind the February administrative citation related to the unpermitted garage improvements under Redwood City Code 9.4 and the California Building Code, and to refund a $100 deposit to the property owner.

Lowe listed additional conditions and administrative actions: Mr. Burns must submit updated plans deleting an identified AC unit/compressor within seven calendar days so staff can review the plans; if approved, staff will make the permit ready for pickup by June. Staff will waive plan check fees for the amended permit application for the garage improvements and will extend permit C220027 for six months from the date of the meeting. Lowe emphasized that the proposed resolution regarding the garage improvements would not affect other alleged violations (such as construction within the creek setback and the vision triangle), which would be addressed separately before an administrative hearing officer.

Norm Mattioni, attorney for Stephen Burns, said the terms were acceptable. Because the parties reached a settlement, the council did not need to take a formal vote on the appeal. The council thanked staff and the attorneys and moved on to the next agenda item.

No additional details about timelines for the other alleged violations were provided in the record; the transcript shows those matters would proceed to separate administrative proceedings.