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Planning board hears RKG housing needs assessment showing tight market, rising costs and aging stock
Summary
Consultants presented a Housing Needs Assessment funded by a HOP grant that found Milford's population growing, very low vacancy, median home prices around $400,000 and rents near $1,300; consultants and staff said a fiscal-impact report will follow and a public housing forum is scheduled for May 28.
Milford — At a March 4 work session, the Milford Planning Board reviewed a housing needs assessment prepared by RKG Associates as part of a Housing Opportunity Planning (HOP) grant. RKG presented data showing population growth, very low housing vacancy, rising rents and a large share of older housing stock that together are tightening Milford’s market.
The assessment, presented by Allison Christiansen, market analyst with RKG Associates, summarized multiple data sources including the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates and private-market sources. Christiansen told the board the town’s population was roughly 16,300 in 2023 and will continue to grow through 2050; the assessment cites a 2050 projection of about 17,881 residents taken from regional projections.
The report identified several conditions shaping demand: a median sales price for homes near $400,000 (RKG noted a high near $520,000 in late 2022), median gross rent around $1,300 per month, and low vacancy rates — RKG reported a rental vacancy of about 3.8% and essentially 0% owner vacancy. The consultants said those factors create intense competition for housing and rising cost burdens for lower-income households.
"When workers in the town’s largest employment sectors — manufacturing, retail and food services — earn lower wages, they have difficulty affording local housing at current price levels," Christiansen said, summarizing the report’s affordability analysis.
RKG also reported an aging housing stock: a majority of owner-occupied units were built before 1990 and many renter units before 1980. The presentation stressed maintenance and upkeep needs for older units that must remain part of the town’s housing supply.
On housing affordability, RKG found a shortage of units affordable for households earning below 80% of area median income (AMI) and noted surpluses of units affordable to middle-income households (roughly 80–120% AMI). The consultants said more affordable lower-AMI units and more higher-priced units both appear needed to relieve pressure on the middle market.
Board members and attendees raised several questions. Commissioner Andrew Cinelli and others asked for clearer AMI tables in the final report; Christiansen said the fiscal-impact analysis, scheduled for presentation in April, and the final HNA document will add AMI breakout tables and additional detail. Town staff and the consultants also discussed the limits of ACS-derived estimates for small counts; Christiansen said permit-level or local administrative data could tighten certain estimates (for example, counts of units built since 2020).
Consultants and staff described next steps: RKG will deliver a fiscal impact analysis in April and the project team plans a public housing forum on May 28; the HNA findings will be used to inform the town’s master plan update. Camille Pattison, Milford’s director of community development, and RKG consultant Liz Kelly said the two efforts are being coordinated so housing recommendations can feed into the master plan.
The board did not take a formal vote on recommendations at the meeting. Several members emphasized they wanted more detail on commuting patterns, school impacts and long-term population assumptions before endorsing specific regulatory changes.
The consultants left the board with a request for local data where available (building permits, school enrollment details) to refine estimates and an agreement to present the fiscal impact analysis at the board’s April meeting.
Why it matters: The assessment documents a local market where low vacancy, rising prices and an aging housing stock are increasing cost burdens for renters and owners. The report’s findings will shape forthcoming fiscal-impact work and the housing chapter of Milford’s master plan, and they will be discussed publicly at a May 28 housing forum.
Looking ahead: RKG will present the fiscal-impact analysis in April. The planning board and staff said they will post the final HNA and the AMI breakout tables and will use those documents to draft regulatory and policy options for future meetings.
