The Milford Zoning Board of Appeals adopted its 2026 meeting calendar and granted three separate variances for residential properties at 53 Melba Street, 64 Willow Street and 115 Merwin Avenue at its Nov. 12 meeting.

The board, chaired by the meeting chair (speaker 2), opened by approving the calendar for 2026 (second-Tuesday schedule with no holiday changes). "All the dates look good to me," the chair said before the board voted to adopt the schedule.

The first application, for 53 Melba Street, was presented by attorney Thomas Lynch, who said the Vedola family has owned the lot for nearly 40 years and that the property is nonconforming in R5 zoning. Lynch told the board the proposal affects only the front cottage, which will be "squared off" to enlarge the bathroom and laundry area and raised to a FEMA-compliant elevation. He said the project would add a rear deck (approximately 12 by 16) to provide required ingress and egress after elevation work and that the proposal does not increase encroachment into the existing east-side setback. "There is no increase of the nonconforming setback," Lynch said.

During questioning, board members and a public commenter clarified utilities and egress: homeowner Wendy Vedola confirmed separate water meters and that tenants historically paid utilities separately. Mister King asked about exits; Vedola said the front door would be removed but the addition of double doors and the deck would provide the legally required second exit.

Mister Sota moved to approve the variances for 53 Melba Street (including setback relief to 2 feet where 5 feet is required, lot coverage to 66% where 65% is required, and expansion of a nonconforming two-family structure); the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

The second application, for 64 Willow Street, was also presented by Lynch on behalf of Sincere Rentals, Connecticut LLC. He said the owners purchased the property in August and plan a second-story addition to accommodate Carrie Lupoli's parents; the existing footprint and a 13-foot rear setback would remain unchanged. Lynch said the portico shown on the plans is zoning-compliant. The board closed the hearing with no speakers in opposition, and Mister Sota's motion to grant the rear-yard setback variance and permit the expansion passed unanimously.

The third application, for 115 Merwin Avenue, was presented by owner Hilly Einbinder, who described the house as a family beach home owned for about 60 years. Einbinder said the lot is narrow (about 29.5 feet) and the requested relief — multiple side-yard setback variances, a modest projection/dormer adjustment for symmetry and an expansion of a nonconforming structure — is intended to provide usable bedroom space for a family of five or six without materially changing height or overall bulk. Board members made a brief measurement-related inquiry about the proposed bay/dormer projection; the applicant and board agreed the alteration was modest and primarily for interior space and street symmetry. The board voted to grant the requested variances.

Board members then approved minutes from the prior month and adjourned. Each variance approval was unanimous; no motions failed and no applications were continued.

What the approvals mean: the decisions permit three property owners to alter existing nonconforming structures — including one waterfront cottage to be raised to FEMA elevation — while the board noted in each case that footprints were not expanding laterally and that the applicants had tied the requests to narrow-lot constraints.

Votes at a glance:
53 Melba Street — Motion to approve setback variance to 2 ft (5 ft required), lot coverage to 66% (65% required), expansion of nonconforming two-family use and expansion of nonconforming structure; mover: Mister Sota; second: (recorded second); board vote: unanimous, motion passed.
64 Willow Street — Motion to approve rear-yard setback to 13 ft (20 ft required) and expansion of nonconforming structure for a second story; mover: Mister Sota; second: (recorded second); board vote: unanimous, motion passed.
115 Merwin Avenue — Motion to approve multiple side-yard and projection variances and expansion of nonconforming structure per survey; mover: Mister Sota; second: (recorded second); board vote: unanimous, motion passed.

Next steps: The approvals authorize permitting activity consistent with the granted variances; applicants may proceed with building-permit applications subject to the town’s permit review and inspection processes.

Quotes used in this report are taken from the board hearing transcript. The board did not reference any state statute or ordinance by name beyond the zoning section numbers read into the record.