The Milford City Planning and Zoning Board on a motion to continue kept open a hearing on a variance request to build a new single-family house at 6 Warren Drive after multiple neighbors objected to the proposed size and proximity to adjacent lots.

Attorney Thomas Lynch, representing Exceptional Home Improvements LLC and client Sana Naz, described a 24-foot-wide, two-level house with about 2,800 square feet of living space, a two-car garage and a 12-by-14 rear deck. Lynch said the lot is nonconforming (about 3,200 square feet where 5,000 is the zone minimum) and that the plan centers the house on the lot to produce similar side-yard setbacks to other recent approvals in the Bayview area. He noted the project will require further CAM review and FEMA compliance.

Why it matters: Neighbors said the project would change neighborhood character and encroach on adjacent yards. Don Percett (12 Orlando) called the proposal "a monster," saying, "The house they want to build on the 0.07 is going to be 3,000 plus square feet," and raising specific concerns that parts of the new structure would be as close as 1.8 feet from his property line. Mark Provenzano (45 Bayshore Drive) said the lot could be rebuilt without expanding the footprint and questioned whether the claimed hardship was "self-inflicted" by the purchasers. Paul Jocelyn (7 Warren Street) warned of creating "a wall of houses" and asked whether the town’s approvals prioritize tax revenue over preserving community character.

Applicant response: Lynch disputed that the house is out of scale with recent work in Bayview, said the plan meets lot coverage and height requirements, and emphasized the two-car garage will provide off-street parking the neighborhood currently lacks. He also said the existing cottage is small (about 660 sq ft) and rebuilding to modern standards is reasonable.

Board action: After brief deliberations and suggestions from members that the plan could be modestly reduced (one member suggested about 200 square feet), the board voted to keep the hearing open to the next month to allow the applicant to consider modifications. The motion to continue carried on a voice vote.