Special Magistrate Kristen Ike found the owners of 679 Vicksburg Street in violation after city inspections and a fire department response showed a permitted metal garage had been converted into three studio apartments with electrical and plumbing work.

Code enforcement officer Bashir Cherky testified the accessory structure was originally permitted as a metal garage but had been converted into multiple units with kitchens and bathrooms. Cherky said the corrective action is to obtain the required permits for the conversion or otherwise restore the structure to its permitted use.

Assistant Fire Marshal Samuel Schaller described the occasion that prompted the referral: a 911 call for smoke led first responders to a rear structure where an air fryer had melted on a stove and caused smoke inside a unit. Schaller said the building-code and fire-code implications include requirements for a supervised automatic sprinkler system for new apartment buildings and a fire-department access road within 50 feet of an exterior door. Schaller said the city sought either restoration to a non-multifamily accessory dwelling or installation of the required systems.

Representatives for the property said they had engaged an engineering/planning firm (Sun State Plans LLC) and were coordinating with the city. The city initially sought 60 days for permit submission and Schaller requested 90 days for fire-related corrections; the magistrate extended deadlines to allow permitting but also set a longer compliance timeline. For the code-enforcement files (DEL25-086A–C) the magistrate ordered compliance by 4:00 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2026. For the related fire case (Fire0442025) the magistrate set a deadline of Feb. 19, 2026. The magistrate warned that if the respondents do not comply, the city will impose $50 per day per violation; the magistrate noted five violations were listed and said the $50 daily rate would apply per violation per day.

The magistrate admitted the case files, photographs and correspondence into the record and instructed respondents to contact the compliance inspector and the fire marshal once permit applications and required plans are submitted.