Milton Reconsiders Deerfield Parkway Apartment Complex

Milton City Council will be considering a zoning request Monday night for Crescent Deerfield, a 256-unit apartment development along Deerfield Parkway for the second time.

A year ago the council rejected the proposal, but the developer took them to court. The judge ruled the city had to reconsider an application under its Form-Based Code.

Milton City Council meets at 6 p.m. at City Hall, located at 1300 Deerfield Pkwy., Milton.

Crescent Communities – formerly known as Crescent Resources – has plans for 128 one-bedroom and 128 two-bedroom apartments in 12 three-story buildings on the site. The 20-acre property backs up to the Fry's and Walmart properties, and is to the west of the officer park that houses Milton City Hall.

The revised site plan shows interconnectivity to both the Fry's parking lot and to the property to the southwest in addition to three entrances on Deerfield Parkway.

Although the appearance of the buildings appears to meet the form-based code, the city has two main concerns about the site plan. First, it includes no commercial space, when city code requires either:

The entire first floor to be used for non-residential functions or residential lobbies, leasing offices, fitness centers, or multi-purpose rooms serving the Residential Function, or

More than 50 percent of the total floor area is dedicated to office, retail, or lodging functions.

During its courtesy review of the site plan, the city's Design Review Board even suggested some possible tenants for that commercial space, including Starbucks, Laundromat and deli.

Secondly, the apartments have zero storage space, though 300 cubic feet of contiguous space is required. The fear is that patios and decks will serve as that storage space instead, which is unattractive for neighbors.

Both the Planning Commission and the Community Development staff recommend that City Council deny the proposal.

To see the entire presentation for Crescent Deerfield and the rest of the agenda, download the Milton City Council agenda packet. (PDF – 93 MB).