Milton commission tables Federal Street mixed-use application
A proposed mixed-use development on Federal Street in Milton was tabled by the town’s historic preservation commission to allow the developer to implement proposed changes to its plans.
At its Feb. 13 meeting, the commission decided it could not vote up or down on what are not final plans, although the general purpose of the discussion was to allow the commission to weigh in on the project, which falls within the historic district.
Brennon Bickel, architect for the project, said plans call for a three-story, mixed-use building on a 1.2-acre parcel at 100 Federal St., at the corner of Union and Federal streets. The first floor of the building would be used for restaurant and retail space, with the second and third floors having residential apartment units. The property is zoned Town Center Use, which allows for both residential and commercial uses.
Developer RJL Associates has proposed a 50-foot wetland buffer at the rear of the property, which backs up to the Broadkill River. Plans call for six apartment units on each floor. While parking is not required in the TC district, the complex would utilize the existing parking lot with 37 parking spaces. Access to the parcel would come from Front Street Extended, the alleyway that runs behind the Milton Theatre House, and that road would be widened to 24 feet. Drainage will be through an underground infiltration basin, with overflow going out to the wetland buffer.
Bickel said the project is still in the conceptual phase of design; RJL is on a parallel track to soon begin preliminary site-plan review with the planning and zoning commission. Bickel said the intention is to tie the structure into the surrounding area.
While the commissioners acknowledged the project is still evolving, there were concerns about the project’s pedestrian connectivity to the rest of downtown. However, the commission liked the idea of the project, with its mix of commercial and residential use, that it will fill out a long-empty area of Milton’s central business district, and that the latest version of the plan shows a brick building.
