ARB stands for arbitrary

To the editor: The Architectural Review Board certainly busts the chops of any small business owners who attempt to renovate a building in the so-called Milford historic area. They do however seem to bend over backwards to accommodate the new Rite Aid store, also located in the heart of the historic zone. In the past they have quoted The ARB Milford Design Guide as their guiding principle, but in the case of Rite Aid’s last design proposal it seems that their book of rules was deemed irrelevant. I looked up the section called “Demolition” in the ARB design guide and found the following: “The demolition of Historic buildings has a negative impact upon the streetscape of the neighborhood -- The replacement of these historic structures with new structures alters the appearance of the community in very significant ways - Therefore protection of historic resources is in the best interest of the community.” The only acceptable reason in the guidelines for demolition of a historic building is: “Deemed appropriate for reasons of safety, compelling community need or other overriding considerations in the public interest.” On Monday the 26th the ARB reviewed the informal application by the Rite Aid Corporation to demolish a historic building and replace it with a 10.000 sq. foot flagship store designed in their usual corporate image. There was no surprise in the ugly faux red brick, ornamental fake peaks attached to the flat roof, limited windows, blacktop parking lot, large vinyl lit-up signage, etc. It was typical low-cost corporate architecture that takes into account increased profit per square foot but certainly not community needs or sensitivity to the environment. No matter where you go in America, chain retailers have this uniform appearance and we the people run the risk of becoming immune to how truly ugly these buildings really are. The ARB members thanked (!) the Rite Aid designers for their design and gave them the go-ahead to proceed to the formal ARB presentation. The only reference to the ill fated historic building was the kind of joke developers reserve for historic buildings: “It is held together by chewing gum anyway.” In the ARB Design Guide the building slated for demolition appears to have been built between 1850 and 1900 which makes it historic. It is adjacent to the current Rite Aid and belongs to Skip Gregory. It has been neglected even though Mr. Gregory, according to ARB guidelines, has to keep his properties in good shape. “The responsibility for maintaining buildings and planning for their long-term survival rests with the individual property owner.” The Rite Aid proposal is an excellent opportunity for the ARB to remedy the recent accusations that they apply double standards and show us that the ARB does not change its tune when it comes to big corporate interests. After all the ARB was created to protect the existing historic buildings of Milford. Barbara de Vries Milford