Milton council and planning commission review ‘Destination Deerfield’ plan; seek guidance on incentives, housing mix and open-space rules

City of Milton staff told a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission on Feb. 10 that the city’s Destination Deerfield implementation plan is intended to guide redevelopment on roughly 320 acres in the Deerfield district and asked for direction on six decision points, including whether to allow incentive density in lieu of buying Transfer of Development Rights, how strictly to enforce the 50/50 nonresidential-residential ratio for multifamily and townhome proposals, and whether stormwater facilities that are designed as public amenities may count as open space.

The presentation was led by a city staff member identified in the meeting as Bob Bishimi, who described the plan as a long-range effort to knit retail, office and new housing together around Highway 9 and several larger redevelopment parcels. “We are calling this project, for the purposes of the project, Destination Deerfield,” Bishimi said, summarizing the study’s emphasis on subdistricts, a multiuse trail network and a mix of uses that would preserve retail space along the corridor.

The plan responds to developer interest on multiple large sites and to the council’s request for a districtwide approach rather than piecemeal approvals. Staff said the study identified 10 potential redevelopment sites totalling about 320 acres, including the Verizon campus, the H Building site, Fry’s/Target shopping areas and the Stone Creek Church property. Staff noted the district currently is largely residential by land area and that Milton’s overall tax base is about 11% commercial and 89% residential.

One early procedural matter: Councilmember Doug Haney recused himself from decisions that would directly affect…