Safe Harbor Marina seeks larger storage building; Milford hearing held open after neighbor concerns about height, size and notice

The Milford City zoning board held over a hearing on a proposed new boat storage and maintenance building at 164 Rogers Avenue after residents raised concerns about height, footprint, parking and notice. The applicant proposed tearing down an existing 100-by-100-foot building and replacing it with a 150-by-100-foot structure and related accessory work.

John Paul Garcia, a licensed professional engineer and land surveyor representing Safe Harbor Marina, told the board the existing building has “reached the end of its useful life” and that the new building would allow “wet flood proofing” and a mezzanine to move equipment and materials above base flood elevation. Garcia said the proposal reduces the building’s encroachment on the easterly property line: the existing structure sits about 9.9 and 10.4 feet from the line; the proposed building would be 13.65 and 18.85 feet from the line.

Josh Whitwell, Safe Harbor’s vice president of operations, said the redevelopment is intended to bring the Milford property up to the company’s standards. Whitwell said the new building is for dry storage and maintenance only…