Milford ZBA Approves Permit to Add Third Apartment at Congress Street Property

Zoning Board · Meeting of July 9, 2026

Milford Zoning Board approves conversion of long-vacant dental office into third apartment at 53-55 Congress Street. The board voted unanimously Thursday to grant a special permit to property owner Lucio Smoz, allowing him to convert the former first-floor dental practice — vacant for several years — into a residential unit, bringing the building to three total apartments. Chair David R.

Consigli and the four-member panel attached conditions requiring that parking spaces 5 through 8 in the rear of the property be paved with reprocessed asphalt and lined to standard dimensions by December 1, 2026, with the board estimating the work at roughly $5,000 to $6,000. The board also capped the first-floor unit at three bedrooms and voted to eliminate two proposed parking spaces at the corner of Congress and Spruce streets, consistent with a June 5 favorable recommendation from the Planning Board citing pedestrian safety concerns near a school-children crossing. As a final condition, the building inspector, Board of Health, and assessors' office must inspect all units before the appeal period expires.

In the full story:

• Background and Stakes
• The Question Before the Board
• Substantive Content
• The Deliberation
• Procedural Outcome
• Implications and What Is Next
• The complete report — 1,672 words

Source: the Zoning Board meeting of July 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.