New Type Of Unique Housing Proposed In Milford

Milford CT

10 November, 2021

10:02 AM

Description

MILFORD, CT — A developer, Fernando Pastor, is seeking a special exception approval from the city of Milford to allow live-work units at 4 Oxford Road. Currently, such a use is not found in Milford and the developer is seeking to create five buildings with 14 total dwelling units, if plans are approved. The units would be marketed to artists, who would work from their living space. The application remains pending. The property is owned by David E. Barnes. James Sakonchick, PE, LS, President, Kratzert, Jones & Associates, Inc., Cheshire, addressed the Planning and Zoning Board at a recent meeting. He shared a screen depicting a tenant in the building with a music studio and described why he thinks the units at the site are suited to a live/work use, according to meeting minutes. He said the building elevations change along the length of the building and that these units will adapt well to smaller uses. He said a raised flower bed would delineate each unit rather than a rain garden, meeting minutes state He used the example of his musician son and his visual-artist daughter-in-law as being the type of tenants who would be attracted to the complex. He said another goal would be to incorporate gardens and other residential type features into the complex. PZB member Peg Kearney asked for an explanation of how the units were to be made livable. Sakonchick said buildings must be sprinklered and that a portion of each unit set up for kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom use with a wall separating the front workspace from the back living space, meeting minutes state. Pastor, Marsh Hill Condo Association, LLC, discussed the current configuration and the layout of specific units with Kearney, saying that square footage per unit would be around 800 to 1000. He said the live/work concept is not new, but is seen in many urban areas worldwide, and that the pandemic has underscored the need for more live/work options. PZB member John Mortimer asked if 40 percent of the space would be the work area; Mr. Pastor said that this would typically be the case. PZB member James Kader asked if there would be a requirement that tenants be an artist or artisan. Pastor said he didn't think he could discriminate on that basis, but marketing would be targeted to artists or others who solo professionals such as engineers, meeting minutes state. PZB member. PZB member Joseph L. Castignoli asked if the use had been allowed elsewhere in the city; City Planner Sulkis said it had not. Pastor said the use had been approved in New Haven and Manchester, but it later emerged that the New Haven use required a zone change. Satti asked how many buildings are being proposed; Salonchick said 5 buildings with 14 dwelling units. Satti said dwelling units are prohibited in this zone and asked why the application had been put forward when several open issues had not been addressed, according to meeting minutes. Mortimer said he found an artisan village an interesting idea but was concerned about the impact on the light industrial zone. Castignoli asked that the items be tabled to allow receipt of more information andsufficient time for the board and public to consider it.