Milford, N.H. — The Milford Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a special exception June 19 allowing applicants Matthew and Cena Bigelow to add an 18-by-20-foot sunroom that will encroach into the property's front setback at 3 Harvest Drive.

Chair Andrea Coco Chapel opened the hearing and read the application into the record, saying the request was for a front-setback encroachment on a corner lot that is subject to the special-exception criteria in the Milford zoning ordinance. The applicants sought approval to encroach about 5 feet 10 inches, with a maximum of about 6 feet 5 inches, into the 30-foot front setback to build the sunroom on the north‑western rear corner of the existing residence.

The board’s deliberations focused on whether the addition met the general and specific criteria under the ordinance. Applicant Matthew Bigelow described the proposal as a sunroom replacing part of an existing deck and said locating it elsewhere would require removing a bulkhead and significantly reduce usable backyard space. “We're requesting a special exception for a sunroom addition onto an existing residence that will encroach less than 8 feet into the front side yard setback, which is adjacent to a dead end street,” Bigelow said while describing the application record.

Board members agreed the site is residential and the proposed use is consistent with the district. Rich Elliott, a board member, said the board has “certainly seen a lot of these” and characterized the addition as similar in scale to other neighborhood structures. Members noted the lot’s double frontage (Harvest and Knight streets), the house’s existing large setback on Harvest Street, and the fact the sunroom replaces part of an existing deck as factors supporting approval.

The board also concluded the proposal would not create a nuisance or hazard to pedestrians or vehicles because the lot sits at a dead‑end street and the addition would remain well back from the traveled way. Members pointed out building-permit and inspection requirements will still apply for any construction.

After completing a roll‑call-style series of confirmations on each ordinance criterion, the board voted to approve the special-exception request. Chair Andrea Coco Chapel announced the request satisfied the ordinance criteria and said the approval is subject to a 30-day appeal period.

The applicants were told they must obtain required building permits and inspections before starting construction.