Mystery Milford Development On East Main: 'End User ... Not Known'

MILFORD, MA — The public will get a chance to comment on a planned 191,000 square-foot wholesale and distribution center along East Main Street, but an exact description of what entity will occupy the development remains unclear.

The facility would be constructed near 460 East Main Street, a wooded parcel between Whispering Pine Drive and Milford Stone Co. An LLC tied to Imperial Cars owner Kevin Meehan purchased the 6-1/2 acre site in late 2021 for $1 million, according to Worcester County property records.

During deliberations over the winter, the Milford Planning Board asked for an independent traffic study for the project after the developer produced its own. The developer responded to that independent investigation this week — including a request to provide more details about the project.

“The end user of the project is not known at this time, but the development is considered to be wholesale with distribution,” the developer's traffic study firm, Bowman, wrote in response to a request from the town's engineer for more details about the project.

According to town zoning laws, a wholesaling business sells "commodities in quantity to retailers or distributors for use, re-sale or further processing, rather than directly to end consumers." That type of zone would exclude a retail sore like Costco or BJ's.

The traffic study estimated the facility would generate about 51 truck trips during weekday morning hours, and 55 trips during weekday afternoon hours. The study also noted that about 90 percent of those trips would be directed down East Main and Fortune Boulevard to access I-495 at either Route 85 or Route 109. About 10 percent of trips would travel into Hopkinton along Route 16, however.

A public hearing on the development will take place at the Tuesday Milford Planning Board meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. at Milford Town Hall. Residents can also attend via Zoom.