Purchase Of Great Island Traffic Circle Now Complete: Town Of Darien

DARIEN, CT — Even though Darien finalized the acquisition of Great Island months ago, the town still needed to take ownership of the .31 acres of real property known as the traffic circle at the entrance to the island.

On Dec. 21, the town completed the approval process for the traffic circle. The Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance gave the green light, as did the Representative Town Meeting earlier this month.

According to a news release from the town, Darien agreed to pay $792,000 to the seller, which included the acquisition of the traffic circle acreage, modification of certain easements, and funding of legal and other acquisition-related costs incurred by the seller.

"With the closing of the traffic circle acquisition, the town now has unrestricted access rights to Great Island. The Great Island Advisory Committee (GIAC) will now focus on opening the island to public access and moving forward with preservation and development planning," a news release from the town said. "Considerable effort to complete this transition was required. The town would like to thank all those involved, particularly Monica McNally, who now chairs GIAC, and Jim Palen, who chairs the Board of Finance."