Residents press board on short‑term rentals, blight and local housing conversions

Several residents addressed the Board of Aldermen during public comment Aug. 4 to raise recurring neighborhood concerns about short‑term rentals, chronic blight and proposed property conversions. Robert Dickinson said Milford has no short‑term rental regulations and warned of a “59% increase in short term rentals year over year,” arguing that weekend party rentals and LLC purchases were “essentially an unregulated hotel.” Adriana Latouf said the house next door to her was “clearly advertised as a party house” on VRBO and asked the board to examine short‑term rental rules. Laurie Smalden urged the board to take action on persistent blight at 26 Hauser, saying the property “has done absolutely nothing” since a 2021 variance and that its disrepair posed pest and fire risks. Several speakers from the Wildermere/Walnut Beach area said they had reported issues to planning and other city offices without relief. Trevor Miller and his wife Jody spoke about a recently sold church on their street and said prolonged construction and new traffic would harm neighbors; Jody described her disability and how the church site’s construction activity had disturbed her bedroom and recovery routine. Miller urged officials to focus on filling existing units before adding more. Other commenters urged that the board and administration renew attention to local control over development decisions; Damon Ralph specifically referenced Connecticut General Statutes Section 8-30g and said the town’s previous five‑year moratorium had expired and that the current administration had not sought a renewal. The board did not take policy action during public comment but several aldermen later referenced the concerns during discussion of other agenda items.