Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Milford Board of Adjustment met on September 10, 2026, with a full quorum, and held public hearings on three variance applications. Staff reported that for each hearing, notice was published in the Daily State News on August 21, 2026, mailed to property owners within 200 feet, and posted on the property. The board unanimously granted all three variances and also approved two findings of fact. No previous meeting minutes were presented for approval.
Kyle Nichols, representing Tellos Properties, requested variances to build a single-family detached home on a nonconforming R3-zoned lot along the south side of Northwest Sixth Street between Truett Avenue and West Street. The applicant sought four variances:
Nichols said the hardship is that the existing lot is nonconforming and zero square feet of it would conform to current building code setbacks. He described a two-story house of 26 by 28 feet with a first floor of about 700 square feet, a 10 by 36 foot driveway to meet the minimum two-space parking requirement, and a side deck to provide two points of egress. The target sales price was about $290,000, with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. Board discussion addressed the deck's encroachment; the applicant said a crawl-space foundation requires a landing, so the deck could be shortened but probably not eliminated. Mr. Wiley commented that the applicant had done a responsible job of choosing the minimum footprint for the legal nonconforming lot. All four variances were approved unanimously.
Jonathan Richard of Beckhamorgan Group, on behalf of Baltimore Air Coil Company, requested a variance to build an 828-square-foot employee pavilion in the front yard of the industrial property at 1162 Holly Hill Road, zoned I2. The only variance sought was from the code requirement that accessory structures be located in side and rear lot areas. Richard explained that the site is largely paved and used for material storage and truck transport, is secured by a fence, and the only available green space within the secured area is in front. The pavilion would be screened by existing trees from Holly Hill Road. A board member said the location made sense and was a safety issue because employees would not have to walk near truck and loading areas. Julie Morris raised environmental concerns about impervious surface and stormwater; after the hearing, the board unanimously granted the variance.
Timothy Lesnar requested a variance to install a five-foot-tall fence in the front yard of a corner lot at 1 East Thrush Drive in an R1 district. The code limits front-yard fence height to 3.5 feet, so the request was a 1.5-foot increase. He proposed an 8-foot panel, a 5-foot gate, and another 8-foot panel toward Meadowlark Drive, then the fence would run straight back. Lesnar stated the HOA approved the fence, he has a German Shepherd, the fence is not solid and has three-quarter-inch gaps, and it is intended to keep the dog safely contained. Staff noted that moving the fence back from Meadowlark Drive would still leave it in the front yard and would reduce the fenced backyard by about 21 feet; Lesnar said the fence would still be about 30 feet from the street. Board discussion referenced the corner lot's two front yards. No public comments were made. The board unanimously granted the variance.
Following the public hearings, the board found no unfinished or new business. It approved findings of fact for application 371-2026, identified as the Walmart application, and application 373-2026, identified as a Tellos Properties application similar to the one heard today. The board then adjourned.
Meeting to order. The first item is the open public comment period for items that are not on the agenda. Has anyone signed up? There's one gentleman signed up, but I think is he signed up, but he has an agenda item, so it's for Mr. Lesnar. So, but there's no one else signed up. I don't know if there's anyone online. Is there anyone online who wishes to make a general comment before the meeting begins? Please raise your hand. There's nobody coming forward. All right. Start into the regular meeting, please rise and we'll please allegiance. We do have a full quorum today with uh Mr. Wiley. He's joining us online. Do we have the previous minutes? We do not have any other previous minutes. So we'll move right into the public hearings. The first application is Tellos Properties 606 Northwest Front Street. When Mr. Pierce is ready, he'll explain the applicant's request. This application begins on page five of your packet. This is application BOA-374-2026 T Lowe's properties. This is a uh variance application for a property that's zoned R3, garden apartment and townhouse district, uh located along the south side of Northwest Sixth Street, uh, between Truett Avenue and West Street. The applicant's proposing to construct a single family detached dwelling on an existing parcel as shown on the provided survey. In order to construct a dwelling as shown, uh the applicant has to obtain the following variances from the board. The first variance is from chapter 230-11, paragraph D1D, which states the minimum front yard setback line shall be 30 feet. The applicant seeking a reduction in the front yard setback along Northwest Sixth Street from 30 feet to 1.9 feet, resulting in a 28.1 foot reduction in the front yard setback requirement. The second variance is from chapter 230-11, paragraph D1F, which states the minimum rear yard setback shall be 15 feet. Uh for corner lots, the rear yard may be reduced 20% in depth to allow for skewing of a residential dwelling on a lot. The applicant seeking a reduction in the rear yard setback from 15 feet to 5 feet, resulting in a 10 foot um a reduction in the rear yard setback of 10 feet. The third variance is from chapter 230-11, paragraph D1E, which states side yards shall be provided as follows. Each lot shall have a at least two side yards, eight feet in width. Um except for semi-detached structures, which shall have at least one side yard, eight feet in width. The applicant seeking a reduction in the western side yard setback from eight feet to five feet, resulting in a side yard that is three feet less than what is required by the city's code. The last variance that's being sought is from chapter 230-11, paragraph D1B, which states the maximum lot coverage shall be 40%. The applicant seeking permission to increase the maximum lot coverage from 40% to 65%, resulting in a lot coverage that is 25% greater than what is um permitted by the zoning ordinance. Section two of the staff report provides staff's analysis and the applicants' responses to the four criteria used to evaluate area variances for each of the requests.