Milford wetlands agency schedules site walk for proposed rebuild at 1 Bayshore Drive amid engineering, jurisdiction questions

The Milford Inland Wetlands Agency on Aug. 20 agreed to a site visit for a proposal to demolish and rebuild a single‑family home at 1 Bayshore Drive after weeks of review and debate over wetlands impacts, engineering constraints and jurisdictional authority. The agency scheduled an on‑site walk for Sept. 10 at 5:30 p.m. and asked the applicant to bring the structural engineer and a soil scientist.

The application, filed by 1 Bayshore LLC and presented by Jennifer Ruspini, requests demolition of the existing home and construction of a flood‑compliant replacement in the same footprint. The project documents submitted to the agency say work would affect about 81 square feet of inland wetlands and 2,268 square feet of upland review area; a portion of tidal wetland currently under the rear deck also would be impacted to remove and replace that deck.

Board members said the site is unusually constrained and raised detailed construction and public‑safety questions. Commissioner Buddy Field said he was concerned about work against an existing stone/block revetment and asked how helically‑anchored foundations would be installed without undermining that wall; Commissioner Ray Gradwell warned that a failing wall during construction could produce a significant hazard. “It’s a very tricky and complicated ordeal,” Gradwell said. The applicant’s structural engineer, Carl Ruspini of Ruspini Consulting…