The zoning regulations would create three districts in the village, one for business, one for private residences and a third for residential-agricultural use.

Approximately 40 landowners and concerned citizens attended the hearing conducted by the village board and 10 people commented or asked questions about the proposed law.

The meeting began with an explanation from Otsego County planning director Terry Bliss about the process which resulted in the village considering the law’s adoption.

Five years ago, work began on developing a comprehensive plan, which outlines the vision and goals residents have for the village. One of the goals expressed during the process was that residents wanted to protect the rural character of their village, Bliss said. Zoning is one way to pursue that protection, he said.

"That is an action the village has been working on for several months to achieve those goals," Bliss said.

He said adoption of the zoning laws won’t have much impact on most residents, as the districts were drawn largely to reflect what already exists in the village.

The first person to speak during the hearing asked about existing businesses that lay outside of the business district, which he said is very small in area.

Village mayor Sabine Curry said those businesses will still exist and won’t be forced to change because of the law.

One resident asked why zoning laws were being considered now when the village had gone so long without them.

Curry said there were two main reasons. The first is that the small tax base in Milford requires much of the funding for village improvement projects to be generated via grants, Curry said. And one of the first things many organizations who give grants ask is whether or not zoning laws are in place.

The second reason Curry cited is concern about the pace of development coming down State Route 28 and how the proliferation of short-term rentals have changed the village’s character.

"We would like it to stay a nice, rural village," she said. "They’re causing havoc for a lot of people in the village."

Curry said the board was not against short-term rentals or Dreams Park visitors, but wanted to have some control over renters, who failed to maintain their properties or enforce acceptable standards of behavior.

Owners of short-term rentals will have to apply for a permit each year if the zoning law is adopted and Curry said a point system will be in place to monitor the renters. Owners who fail to maintain their properties or whose tenants prove to be destructive or significant nuisances to the village will have their permits denied, Curry said.

While few people spoke expressly in favor or against zoning, several residents said the size of the business district was too small.

"What you have for commercial property is what are already businesses," said Art Kaiser. "I don’t think it’s right."

He later said that he was not against zoning, but felt the business district should be expanded.

Another resident said that Milford isn’t exactly an "economic melting pot" and that the village shouldn’t close the door to future businesses.

"I think it is foolish for us to put our blinders on and prohibit anything new from coming in," the resident said.

Curry said that the zoning law would not prevent a business from coming in and that the board could modify the districts.

"If something phenomenal came in that benefited the entire village, the board could change the zoning law," she said.

Curry said the board was certainly not against bringing new businesses into the village and hoped to encourage new development.

"We would like to bring some business back to Milford," she said. "We don’t just want to be the stoplight on the way to Cooperstown."

June Parry, who owns several lodgings within the village with her husband Jim, asked if short-term rentals would now have to be inspected by the village as well as by the state and county.

Curry said no, the village accepts those inspections and doesn’t require its own.

Jim Parry suggested the board include language in the definition of short-term rentals that prohibited team parties, one of the problems frequently raised by neighbors living near Dreams Park rental lodgings.

Curry said the board will likely hold another hearing after revisions suggested at Tuesday’s hearing are incorporated.

A date for that hearing has not yet been set.