Paving Over Paradise: Who Is Defending the Great Island Master Plan?

Less than a year ago, the Darien Board of Selectmen accepted the Great Island Master Plan following an extensive - and expensive - public planning process that cost taxpayers approximately $1.4 million.

Today, however, the Great Island Parking Design Committee is expressing a preference for 90 permanent parking spaces—a substantial increase over the approximately 50–60 permanent spaces, supplemented by overflow lawn parking as needed, reflected in the Master Plan, the First Selectman's September 2025 Early Access concept presentation, and the Early Access RFP.

Subscribe

Board of Selectmen, where is your voice? If the Town intends to move away from the Master Plan, the Board should say so—and own that decision.

To be clear, the Master Plan did not arrive at its parking strategy by accident. It reflected a deliberate decision to limit automobiles, reduce impacts, preserve open space, and protect Great Island's character. Parking was one of the primary tools used to achieve those goals.

When changes are considered in isolation, it is easy to overlook their cumulative impact. At some point, a series of incremental decisions stops implementing the vision embodied in the Master Plan and starts reshaping it.

Residents participated in the master planning process in good faith. They attended meetings, offered input, made compromises, and helped shape a shared vision for the property. If major elements of that vision are now being reconsidered, the public deserves an honest discussion about it.

If the Board believes the Master Plan got it wrong, it should say so publicly, explain why, and invite the community back into the conversation. If not, it should defend the plan it accepted.

Silence is not leadership.

Alexis Sweet, Darien