Tag Archives: privacy hedges

Longtime Westporter Scott Smith is a trenchant observer of local life. He writes:

I’m all for the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, among other personal freedoms afforded to us Americans.

That said, when it comes to the privilege of owning private property, I also think there should be some measure of public accountability and social responsibility that go along with those enshrined rights.

I say this to ask: What reason would someone who owns a strip of roadside land along Long Island Sound have to install dense landscaping that blocks the rest of us from enjoying these beautiful coastal views? Aesthetics? Erosion control? Security?

I speak of a stretch along Beachside Avenue that has been planted chock-a-block with arbor vitae and other shrubbery.

New plantings on Beachside Avenue. (Photo/Scott Smith)

But I don’t mean to single out a few property owners on this public road, as I see examples of such “privacy screens’ along other scenic Soundside drives, all of which make Westport a wonderful place to live and visit.

Hillspoint Road, between Compo and Old Mill Beaches.

I would add that this stretch of Westport’s fabled Gold Coast is adjacent to the former home of the Bedford family, which bestowed upon our community several school buildings, a firehouse, the original Y, and Camp Mahackeno, among other lasting civic gifts. (I’ve heard they also opened the private gardens of their Gilded Age estate to townspeople on occasion.)

Why rob us of such a precious public view, and why now and for many years to come? It may not be against the law, but it strikes me as against the common good.

Just asking, and saying.

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