Darien To Host Great Island Vision And Master Plan Community Workshop

DARIEN, CT — The Great Island Vision and Master Plan design team, led by landscape architect firm Reed Hilderbrand, is inviting Darien residents to attend the first community engagement workshop set for Saturday, Sept. 21.

There will be two sessions that day: a morning session at Darien Town Hall from 10:15 a.m. to 12 p.m., and an afternoon session on Great Island from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Both sessions are free and open to the public and will cover the same information through different experiences.

For the morning event, residents will meet at the Town Hall Auditorium, where an introductory presentation to the master plan will be given, followed by time for residents to interact with activity stations to learn about Great Island and share their hopes for the future.

RSVP is not required to attend the morning session at Town Hall.

For the afternoon session on Great Island, visitors will meet at the Great Island Stables at 2 p.m. Since that there is no vehicular access or parking available currently on Great Island, walk-ins to the stables are highly encouraged. There will be a limited number of seats on shuttle buses leaving Pear Tree Point Beach at 1:30 p.m.. Shuttle capacity is limited, so reservations are required to secure a seat.

To RSVP for a spot on the shuttle, residents can email greatisland@darienct.gov. Seats are subject to availability on a first-come, first-served basis and are not guaranteed. Reservations will be confirmed via email in the order they were received.

The public is welcome to park on their own at Pear Tree Point Beach and take the 20-minute walk to the Great Island stables.

At the stables, a brief project introduction will be shared before splitting into groups for a series of guided Great Island walks, led by the design team. The walks will return to the stables, where residents can interact with activity stations, like the morning session. At 3:30 p.m., the shuttle will bring visitors with reservations back to Pear Tree Point Beach.

Throughout the planning process, the Great Island Advisory Committee (GIAC) and the Great Island Vision and Master Plan Team are collecting public input about the future of Great Island in a series of public engagement events at Great Island and in Darien.

Engagement opportunities will include community events, focus group meetings, and online surveys.

The team will be launching a website in the coming weeks. More information about the Great Island Vision and Master Plan, online surveys, and information about upcoming outreach events will be available on the website.

Information about the GIAC meetings and past presentation recordings can be found here.

The vision and master planning process to revitalize the 60-plus acre Great Island property and transform the historically significant landscape into an ecologically sustainable public space that connects the community to the water is expected to take a year, according to Reed Hilderbrand officials.

"This initiative reflects Darien's commitment to thoughtful urban planning, sustainable development, and community-driven initiatives outlined in its comprehensive conservation and recreation plans," the town said in an announcement. "The resulting vision and master plan will be informed by extensive community engagement and conversation to set a shared vision for a sustainable future for Great Island."