Affordable Housing Project Approved, Developer Still Plans Appeal

MILFORD, CT — The Planning and Zoning Board voted 7 to 1 earlier this week to approve a nine unit affordable housing apartment complex at 328 Meadowside Road, the Milford Mirror reports.

The original plans called for 12 units and after the meeting the developer's legal representative indicated they'd sue to get the full 12 units approved.

As Milford residents know by now, when an application is filed under the state's affordable housing statute it basically makes the municipality powerless to deny the project unless 10 percent of a community's housing stock is considered affordable under state guidelines. Milford's housing stock is around 6.5 percent affordable, according to the state.

Milford did win one high-profile battle against an affordable housing developer about 15 years ago. The courts sided with Milford against AvalonBay when the developer wanted to build nearly 300 apartment units on Wheelers Farms and Wolf Harbor roads. But that case was very unique because the courts ruled that Milford couldn't be compelled to install sewer lines to the site, and AvalonBay at the time said they wouldn't proceed with the project unless sewers were installed.

Read the full Milford Mirror story here.