'Makes sense.' Darien temporarily pauses large housing developments
This week the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a one-year moratorium on housing projects with 25 units or more.
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Darien is temporarily hitting pause on approving large housing developments. This week the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a one-year moratorium on projects with 25 units or more.
The town added 320 multifamily housing units from 2020 to 2025, according to a presentation last month by Jeremy Ginsberg, the town’s director of land use. Projects that have gone up include Darien Commons on Heights Road, Heights Crossing on Heights Road, and the first phase of the Corbin District project downtown.
Another 356 units will be built from 2026 through 2028, per Ginsberg. He told the commission construction of multifamily housing continues to outpace single-family housing and will likely continue for the foreseeable future.
It’s expected that in 2028, there will be over 1,100 units built since the year 2000, he said.
“That many multifamily units we've put in, particularly recently, those take time to adjust and accommodate, and I think there's a sense, particularly among the public, that they'd love to see some of this settle down,” First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky told News 12.
The moratorium does not apply to developments already approved by the commission, whether they've started construction or not. Those include Thorndale Circle, Parklands Drive and the next phase of the Corbin District. Affordable housing is also exempt because it falls under a separate state statute.
“I find it a good time to take a pause, frankly,” said Laura Boulton, who’s lived in Darien for almost 33 years. “I feel like there's been a tremendous amount of building over the past two years, and this town needs to absorb what's coming next.”
“The long-term impact on traffic and infrastructure—those are some of the concerns I hear about, how it's all going to play out over a period of time,” added Amy Bell, a Darien resident for more than three decades. “The moratorium seems to make sense to me. The Planning and Zoning Commission is elected locally, and it's a thoughtful group. And I think if they really want to have some time to dig into potential pros and cons, I think that's good thing.”
It's not the sole purpose of the breather. The commission has a lot on its plate right now, including finalizing a required master plan for conservation and development and responding to requirements in housing legislation passed by the state last year.
“There’s a lot of rules and other things we have to change with our zoning regulations to adequately accommodate that bill. And so rather than having the commission and staff focus on big new developments, we'd like to reserve their time to sort all of this out,” Zagrodzky explained.
The moratorium goes into effect May 10, per Ginsburg. Applications for housing with less than 25 units can still be submitted. If the commission wants to extend the moratorium after one year, it would have to submit another proposal and bring it to a public meeting.
