ZONING

Darien RTC Summary Statement

Darien is one of the best-managed towns in Connecticut. Proper management of land, resources, and finances at the local level keep taxes on residents and businesses low, while maintaining excellent public infrastructure and services, such as schools, senior facilities, beaches, parks, sewers, roads, and public safety departments. Local management of zoning regulations ensures decisions about land use and development are made at the local level by town leaders accountable to its residents rather than the governor, legislature, or bureaucrats in Hartford or Washington.

To these ends, the Darien RTC believes that the Planning and Zoning Commission (“P&Z”) should:

Be staffed with experienced and competent commissioners who may have planning, development, infrastructure of land use experience as long as they are free of real or reasonably perceived conflicts. Accomplished professionals from other fields, homeowners and renters with experience in zoning matters are also potential candidates;
Maintain local control of zoning and be accountable to Darien residents alone;
Act transparently with regard to priorities, mission, and short- and long-term goals;
Manage development and growth while accounting for health and safety concerns;
Encourage responsible residential and multi-family home growth and development in line with local inclusionary zoning; and
Support development and land use plans that keep the character and aesthetics of the town.

Principles, Policies & Rationale

Autonomy and Local Control

“No” to ceding unreasonable control to out-of-town organizations and legislators.
Darien zoning regulations should be accountable to Darien residents alone or with input from adjacent towns when necessary.

Appropriate and Responsible Growth

Manage development and growth according to the capacities and budgets of local infrastructure and services.
Encourage responsible residential growth and development in line with local inclusionary zoning regulations.
Consider the the character and aesthetics of the town when evaluating land use and development plans.
Consider the impacts regulations will have on local traffic and parking.
Ensure regulations regarding building height are aligned with the capabilities of local emergency responders.

State senate zoning proposals are wrong in principle and a clear overreach by Hartford

Democratic politicians wrongly believe that communities cannot be relied upon to “responsibly use local zoning and local practices” and that the state’s needs “take precedence over needs or wishes of individual towns.”
Current proposals tax towns with “exclusionary zoning” or otherwise coerce them to give zoning power to the state by offering more state funding for education or school building. Control of Darien’s zoning is not for sale. Darien already pays heavily in state income taxes and sales taxes, all for the benefit of CT’s troubled cities.

Cheap shots at Darien’s current zoning practices are untrue and divisive

Darien is open to all. Restrictive zoning is about economics, not race.
Efforts to circumvent locally-established zoning laws are another attempt to tax our residents in order to pay for Hartford 0146s tragic and chronic ineptitude.