The Milford Board of Adjustment on July 18 approved two variances cutting required setbacks from 200 feet to 45 feet (rear) and 40 feet (side) on a portion of a parcel planned for Phase 2 of the PUGS 2 LLC industrial project. The variances apply to lands behind the Milford Housing Development Corporation offices and would allow construction of two office/warehouse buildings totaling about 71,450 square feet on roughly 10 acres.

Planning Director Rob Pierce and engineer Alan Decker said phase 1 of the project had received similar variances earlier in the year and that the requested reductions follow the western boundary of the industrial park; they noted much of the adjacent R‑3‑zoned land currently contains a large solar array. Decker said the 200‑foot setbacks on the east and north sides are being preserved and argued that without the variances roughly 80 percent of the central strip of land would be undevelopable.

Resident Julie Morris urged the board to defend the code buffer, arguing the 200‑foot requirement in Milford’s I‑1 district exists to separate industrial uses from residential zoning and to protect neighbors from noise, truck traffic, lighting and increased impervious surface. Morris said the adjacent R‑3 zoning could permit housing in the future and warned that approving the reduction would “destroy” the effectiveness of the buffer. The applicant and some board members countered that existing adjacent uses — a solar facility and other industrial parcels — lessen the immediate residential impact.

Motions to grant each variance were made by Ron Rizzo, seconded by Andrea White, and carried on roll call. The board and applicant said the variances align Phase 2 with Phase 1 and with the broader industrial park character; staff noted that other buildings in the corridor are not 200 feet from adjacent parcels but that the code requires a variance in those cases. The approvals allow the applicant to proceed with the preliminary site plan for Phase 2; any subsequent building permits must meet conditions and detailed site engineering review.