Milford board approves coastal site plan for new waterfront home at 37 First Avenue

The Milford Planning and Zoning Board on Sept. 2 approved a coastal area site plan review allowing construction of a new single-family dwelling at 37 First Avenue, on the far westerly end of Bayview Beach. The vote included conditions listed in the city engineer’s August 26 review. Attorney Thomas Lynch, representing the owners, presented the proposal and answered board questions. The motion to approve included a requirement that the applicant comply with the city engineer’s listed conditions.

The property, roughly 1.6 acres with direct waterfront access, currently has a beach-cottage–style house built about 1912. Lynch said the existing house of about 2,800 square feet would be demolished and replaced by a roughly 5,600-square-foot, Nantucket-style shingled residence with about five bedrooms and a wraparound porch. Lynch said the main structure and two accessory buildings will be located in the AE flood zone; the building height is about 27.5 feet and the proposed first floor level is 14 feet above ground.

Board members discussed access and parking. Lynch and the project architect, Robert Dean, explained there are two access points: an existing driveway off First Avenue and a second access from Lawrence Court. The city engineer asked for a paved apron at the Lawrence Court entrance and prohibited parking in the narrow driveway area near the First Avenue/Lawrence Court junction; the applicant agreed. Lynch described accessory structures at the easterly end of the lot—a pool house and a golf-simulator building—and a sports court at the north end of the property. He said a transformer located toward the rear of the lot will serve the site and was sited where utility-pole access and safety distances from the water were best met.

The board’s motion approved the application “as presented” with the condition that the applicant accept and comply with items a through d of the city engineer’s August 26 letter; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously by members present. No additional departures from zoning lot size, height, or flood-zone requirements were reported. The applicant’s work will proceed subject to the listed engineering conditions and any building permits and other departmental reviews required by the city.

The board’s approval closes the Planning and Zoning review but does not replace required building permits, coastal or state agency approvals if any are required later in the permit process. The applicant must supply final construction plans and meet the engineer’s conditions before permits are issued.