Milford Passes Self-Storage Moratorium

MILFORD, CT — The Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved a moratorium at its Aug. 6 meeting on self storage facilities that will limit them to the Housatonic Design District.

City Director of Economic Development Julie Nash said that the city has reached a saturation point with self-storage locations, according to meeting minutes. The self-storage industry recommends seven square feet per capita and Milford is already beyond that with 469,000 square feet for a population of 53,000 residents.

The city doesn't consider self-storage to be the best use for mixed use commercial zones and a moratorium in those areas would be in line with the goals of the Plan of Conservation and Development, said City Planner David Sulkis. The top commercial zones tend to pay the highest taxes in the city and self-storage spaces don't tend to change once they are built.

There had been inquiries being made about some large commercial properties along Route 1 for self-storage use, Sulkis said.

"They really are a low traffic sort of use that gobbles up large amounts of land," he said.

The moratorium means that new self-storage facilities will only be allowed in the Housatonic Design District. The Housatonic Design District primarily runs from part of Oronoque Road down to Caswell Street.