MILLERTON — The Millerton Zoning Board of Appeals rejected two variance requests for 7-9 Main Street with a unanimous vote on Tuesday, June 3.
The decision closes the book on a process that began more than two years ago when building plans were first submitted to the board seeking to increase the building’s allowable residential density and waive parking requirements.
The latest rejection followed a public hearing on May 6, during which architect Ray Nelson of Earthwise Architecture in Millerton presented revised 9-unit and 6-unit proposals — both scaled down from the original 12-unit plan. The applications were reviewed under village zoning code, which requires at least 5,000 square feet of lot area per unit and 1.5 parking spaces per unit — standards the updated plans still did not meet.
“I think this is a mistake,” said Nelson, who has represented the building’s owner, Gvkgne Realty Inc., in front of the zoning board since 2023. “The village wants more apartments.”
“We are constrained to the zoning laws as written,” board member Ed Stillman said, emphasizing that the board’s role is not to decide what’s best in theory, but to apply the law as it exists.
Nelson disagreed, arguing, “Your job, in my opinion, is to rectify an onerous zoning law. We know the zoning law needs to be changed.”
The Village of Millerton Zoning Board of Appeals met on Tuesday, June 3 to decide on a 7-9 Main Street case. Photo by Aly Morrissey
At the start of the meeting, the board entered an unplanned executive session to review new information, followed by a required State Environmental Quality Review. In a roll-call vote, the board determined the requested variances would not result in significant environmental harm.
The board then worked through its formal Record of Findings, applying five legal criteria meant to balance the applicant’s needs with potential impacts on the community. These included whether the project would change the character of the neighborhood or harm nearby properties, if alternative options were considered, the magnitude of the variances requested, potential environmental and community impacts, and whether the applicant’s difficulty was self-created.
While board members acknowledged that added density and new apartments could benefit the village, they concluded that the proposed variances were too substantial, the parking impact would be negative, and that the applicant failed to do proper due diligence regarding zoning laws before purchasing the property.
“Considering the factors in the Record of Findings, and weighing the benefit to the applicant versus the health, safety, and well-being of the neighbors in our community, we deny the applications for the two variances,” said Stillman.
As for next steps, he noted that there would be paperwork to complete but confirmed the “matter is closed.”
The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
The Millerton Square Plaza on Route 44 in the Town of North East currently sits vacant as owners Kim and Chris Choe work to finish renovations. The Choes first purchased the property in December 2024 with plans to open a grocery store there by June 2025, but faced signficant delays.
The couple, who bought the store from Joseph Trotta, plan to stock locally-sourced produce, meat, and seafood from Boston and New York City. Originally planned to open by June 2025, the Choes pushed back their estimated opening last summer to October 2025 and eventually said the timeline was unclear last fall.
The recent announcement comes amid mounting questions about the fate of both the Millerton supermarket and the Sharon Farm Market in Sharon, Connecticut, which the Choes also own and operate.
Their Millerton plans received approval from planning and building officials in the Town of North East in June 2025. Chris Choe said interior renovations at the store are nearing completion.
A new business partner is joining the project, although Choe declined to identify the individual citing ongoing negotiations.
Completed renovations include a new roof and HVAC upgrades. Remaining work includes new flooring, a replacement ceiling, parking lot reconfiguration and storefront upgrades, Choe said.
Choe attributed much of the delay to the demands of another grocery venture in New Haven, Connecticut, which he said the family plans to sell in the coming weeks.
“Driving, I lose three hours every day,” Choe said, adding that selling the business will allow him to focus on completing the Millerton supermarket and planned upgrades at Sharon Farm Market.
Construction debris and old freezers still litter the site of the Millerton supermarket.Photo by Nathan Miller
Rumors also called into question the fate of the Sharon Farm Market.
Jam Food Shop, a business that serves prepared foods and sandwiches that operates a space within the Sharon Farm Market, will be leaving the market at the end of September.
That move — coupled with sparse inventory on shelves — has fueled speculation about Sharon Farm Market’s future.
“We’re going to fix the store,” Choe said, describing plans to renovate the Sharon Farm Market’s interior and introduce a coffee shop and juice bar. He insisted the grocery store will not be closing, and renovations will begin after Jam’s departure at the end of September.
Choe said Jam Food Shop’s departure presents an opportunity to reconfigure the market’s prepared-food operation.
A new focus going forward will be cutting prices on prepared foods, improving and expanding available organic produce and making a foray into delivery with services such as Instacart and DoorDash.
News that the Millerton supermarket may finally open this year was met with cautious optimism by residents Sunday, May 31.
A.J. Day, a Millerton resident who said he moved to the village in 2008 with his parents, said his family has been anxiously awaiting a new supermarket in town.
Day said the family travels to Danbury to shop for groceries at Trader Joe’s for most of their needs, but often makes quick trips to LaBonne’s Market in Salisbury, Connecticut, or the Sharon Farm Market for immediate needs.
“My parents [and I] both want to see a place there,” Day said. “My parents were a little uneasy not having a place there for a while.”
Shannon Tyree-Brown and her daughters, Cassidy and Addison Brown, said they were encouraged by the latest timeline while acknowledging frustration over the prolonged vacancy.
“It’s kind of been depressing just sitting vacant for so long,” Tyree-Brown said. “Unfortunately, the other options didn’t stick.”
Despite the dismay, Tyree-Brown and her daughters are supportive of the effort and hopeful it will serve the community soon.
Nearby business owners are also eager to see the supermarket open.
The owners of Pasture Kitchen, a restaurant that occupies the former McDonald’s building on Route 44 adjacent to the supermarket plaza, are also looking forward to the Millerton market’s eventual opening.
Austin Cornell, who founded Pasture Kitchen, expects his restaurant to see a boost once the supermarket opens. He described the supermarket as a potential bridge between the Village of Millerton and businesses farther down Route 44 beyond the village boundary.
“I feel like we’re removed from the village,” Cornell said.
While locals are largely supportive of the venture, some residents are skeptical that the Millerton store will open in the fall of 2026.
“Chris has said that for years now,” said longtime Sharon resident Mike Rand. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
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