Economic development in Milford, Connecticut, has increased the size of the city and added both opportunities and some congestion, which has created controversy.
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In the late Twenteith century
In the post-World War II period, Milford—like many other New England towns—underwent significant suburbanization. Interstate 95 was routed through town and the Milford section was completed by 1960.
"The biggest change to Milford was I-95 with seven exits and entrances," Robert B. Gregory, Milford's community development director, said in a July 2006 article in The Hartford Courant.
In the 1960s and '70s, Milford developed further with the construction of the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall, one of the state's largest shopping malls, and the extensive commercial development of the town's stretch of the Boston Post Road.
The city also became host to several headquarters of multinational corporations during the same period. Milford is home to the operational headquarters of the Subway fast-food corporation. The town also hosted the U.S. headquarters of the BIC Corporation, which has in recent years moved most of its operation outside of the city. In December 2005, the Mountain Development Corporation bought many of BIC's former manufacturing facilities, and is in the process of finding tenants. Smaller national corporations call the city home as well, including Total Mortgage Services and Orchid Medical.
Twenty-first century
In the summer of 2005, after seven years of controversy, including protests, nature preserve studies and court battles, the city government started relocating 174 families from the Ryder Mobile Home Park to make way for the Milford Crossing plaza. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Post Mall expanded, with current projects in Milford including the previously mentioned plaza, a hotel, a new high-end shopping plaza on the old Huffman Koos grounds, and a Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse store that replaced the space once occupied by World Jai-Alai.
Economic development today
In the present day, Milford faces the typical modern issue of deciding how much land to develop and how much to keep natural, especially in light of the city's location at the mouth of the Housatonic River and bordering the Long Island Sound.
Downtown Milford is undergoing a rapid revitalization, with development centered primarily on Daniel Street. New venues such as Café Atlantique, the Daniel Street Club, SBC Restaurant, Stonebridge Restaurant, Cabo, Bistro Basque and a number of smaller businesses account for downtown Milford's new-found popularity in the area.