Plans For Escape Room In Milford Resurface

MILFORD, CT — A developer is trying once again to bring an escape room and event facility to Milford at 100 Raton Drive, according to Planning and Zoning Board meeting minutes

The developer is seeking a regulation change to allow escape rooms in the light industrial zone and to establish appropriate parking standards. The item appeared on a recent meeting agenda and the discussion continues.

The applicant is Best Buddies LLC.

According to plans filed earlier this year with the city, the applicant proposed to construct a combination "escape room" recreational facility and event facility. Escape room space can be converted to event space through retracting walls.

The gross square footage is 5,460-square-feet. The floor plan is not clear in identifying whether the proposed use has internal building access to the Tribus Beer space, according to prior meeting minutes. The applicant, according to its filing, believed that there were enough existing parking spaces for both its business and Tribus Beer.

There are 60 regular spaces and 3 accessible spaces, for a total of 63 spaces, but zoning regulations require 101 spaces, according to city officials.

Based on the existing popularity of the Tribus Beer tenant, land-use staff believes there may be a parking deficit, according to previous meeting minutes. According to the statement of use, there is significant overlap in the hours of operation between Tribus Beer and the proposed Escape Room.

Additionally, some work on upgrading the parking lot needs to be undertaken including constructing concrete driveway aprons to the street, meeting minutes states.

And if you're not familiar with Tribus Beer, they are Milford's first brewery and taproom. "Featuring a sprawling, industrial aesthetic taproom, an intimate outdoor biergarten, and an ever evolving, rotating tap list," according to its social media.