Judge Once Again Rules Against Milford in an Affordable Housing Case: Report

MILFORD, CT — Once again a judge has sided against the city of Milford in court over an affordable housing development.

The latest is the 180-unit apartment complex pitched for Wheelers Farms Road. The judge has overruled the city's denial and sent it back to the Planning and Zoning Board, the Milford Mirror reports.

The city's latest loss is attributed to the state's affordable housing statute, which gives the hammer to developers.

Municipalities can only legally say no to proposed affordable housing developments if they can prove there are legitimate health and safety concerns. Often communities such as Milford deny affordable housing applications citing that developers have failed to adhere to local zoning laws, but judges almost in 100 percent of the cases side with the developers in one form or another due to the state's affordable housing statute.

The only way around the law is if a community's housing stock is considered 10 percent affordable via state guidelines and Milford is around 6.5 percent.

In the judge's ruling concerning Wheelers Farms Road proposal he wrote, "The board did not discuss and made no findings as to whether any of its concerns outweigh the need for affordable housing, especially in Milford," the Milford Mirror reports.

Milford Developers is seeking to construct a 180-unit apartment complex on a 26-acre parcel behind the Merritt Crossing office building at 440 Wheelers Farms Road, the Mirror reports.

Read the full Milford Mirror story here.