Milford council approves 27-unit Riverwalk Villas subdivision pending conservation sign-off; city accepts land donation tied to street work

Milford City Council approved a final-major-subdivision plan for the Riverwalk Villas townhouse development Tuesday evening, voting 8-0 to conditionally allow construction of 27 townhouses pending final approvals from the Sussex Conservation District and a formal letter of map revision to address floodplain fill requirements.

The project, proposed by Milford Housing Development Corporation, would place 27 energy‑star, solar‑ready townhouses on vacant land north of Mispillion Street and west of Marshall Street. The developer offered to donate about 0.89 acres of open space adjacent to the city Riverwalk; the donation exceeds the half‑acre recreational open‑space requirement in the city subdivision code and is tied to help with road improvements along the south side of Mispillion Street.

The conditional approval follows a planning commission recommendation of approval, 4‑1, where the lone negative vote reflected the absence of Sussex Conservation District sign‑off at that time. City staff and the city engineer indicated their final signature on record plans would be withheld until the Conservation District issues its final construction plan approval. City staff also said a conditional (fill) letter of map revision was issued and that a regular LOMAR will be required before any building permits are issued because the project places fill within the floodplain.

Developer Dave Moore, president and CEO of Milford Housing Development Corporation, told council the homes will be owner‑occupied only (no rentals), will include garages and off‑street parking, be roughly three bedrooms and two baths each, and will have fenced backyards and balconies facing the river. Moore said some units will carry subsidies and deed restrictions that limit resale and subleasing for an initial period (discussed as 10 years, with hardship exceptions) so subsidies can be recaptured or prorated upon resale.

Council members pressed staff on the outstanding conservation approval and the risk of material change; Rob Pierce, the city’s director sitting in for the city manager, said the outstanding items were construction‑detail level and that the city’s administrative follow‑up process requires the planning director, city engineer and city manager to ensure the Conservation District approval is in hand before recordation or building permits are released.

Separately, council authorized a land donation agreement with the developer to accept the 0.89‑acre parcel and coordinate road work on Mispillion Street. City staff said the developer commissioned an appraisal that valued the donated land at about $1,600,000 total (roughly $426,000 per acre); after accounting for the half‑acre required open space, staff estimated a remaining land value of approximately $165,000 that would be offset by the developer’s assistance with street improvements and related work. Parks and Recreation would have authority to add amenities to the donated open space in the future.

The council motion approved the ordinance establishing the final major subdivision with the explicit condition that Sussex Conservation District final approval is received before administrative sign‑off; the motion passed on a roll call vote recorded as 8‑0.