ZBA approves reduced portico plan at 7 Point Lookout East after neighbors objected to earlier scheme

An application to add a modest front portico and make interior renovations at 7 Point Lookout East was approved by the Milford Zoning Board of Appeals on Sept. 9 after the applicant substantially reduced an earlier, larger plan.

Attorney Thomas Lynch represented Ochner Place LLC and owners Mark and Michelle Greengard. Lynch said the owners originally proposed a larger renovation in April — including a second story, a bump‑out, and a garage connection — but withdrew that plan after neighborhood objections. “They scrapped that plan and we’re presenting this to you tonight,” Lynch said, describing the new request as a primarily aesthetic front portico similar to one the board approved at a nearby property in 2023.

Lynch said houses on Point Lookout were largely built in the mid‑20th century and that many front‑yard setbacks in the neighborhood are nonconforming; the subject house has a front-yard setback of roughly 23 feet where 30 feet is required. The proposed portico was described on the plan as a small stoop roughly in the 6‑by‑8 to 8‑by‑10 foot range intended to add architectural detail rather than expand usable living area.

Neighbors had attended the earlier April hearing and opposed the larger project, Lynch said; no opposition voices were recorded for the smaller portico plan at the Sept. 9 rehearing. Board members said the revised application was a substantial reduction from the April submission and represented an acceptable aesthetic improvement. A motion to approve the front-porch projection variance and expansion-of-nonconforming-structure relief (as applicable) carried on a recorded vote with board members present voting yes. The hearing was closed with no additional conditions recorded in the minutes.

Survey and application materials were revised and submitted by Jay Dennison, with a revised plan dated Aug. 18, 2025, according to the application paperwork presented at the hearing.