A plan to lock in historic protections for Milton Village could also lock up property owners in months of red tape, according to the developer behind some of the corridor's newest businesses.

Milton's Select Board on Tuesday, Aug. 4, approved Article 4 for the Oct. 19 Special Town Meeting warrant. The measure would designate Milton Village as a Local Historic District, requiring owners to obtain a government certificate before altering their properties. That approval process can take 60 or more days, the Milton Times reported.

The restrictions would stack on top of existing zoning rules already governing the village.

JD Wild, a Milton Hill resident and managing partner of The ELEVATED Companies, led a lengthy public comment session at the Aug. 4 meeting. Wild owns multiple Milton Village properties, including the fitness studio Muscle and Flow and Two Pence Market, a cafe and grocer that opened in early August at 2 Eliot Street in the former Bank of Boston building he purchased at auction in 2023 and spent roughly a year restoring.

"The process has not matched the scale of the change," Wild told the board, arguing the bylaw would disproportionately affect property owners like himself and discourage new investment in the village.

Wild said his objection was not to historic preservation itself but to whether the bylaw represents genuine broad-based consensus among the people it would govern.

The stakes are tangible. When Two Pence Market opened Aug. 1, co-owner Dan Kerrigan described Wild's commitment to the village, telling the Milton Times that Wild "spent probably a year restoring the building and preparing it for us to come in here and speak to utilize it." That kind of private investment, Wild argued at the Aug. 4 meeting, would face new friction under the proposed rules.

Supporters of the designation contend that preserving Milton Village's character, which dates back more than 300 years, could enhance the area's appeal for tourism and economic development. A Local Historic District Study Committee has been meeting regularly since at least January, with agendas posted on miltonma.gov through August.

The full boundaries of the proposed district and the exact language of Article 4 were not available in published accounts.

Town Meeting members will vote on the proposal Monday, Oct. 19. Residents who want to weigh in can contact the Select Board or attend the Special Town Meeting.