In a neighborhood that includes multimillion-dollar waterfront homes on Connecticut's "Gold Coast," the latest plan to build the first public swimming pool is making waves.

The turbulence developed after a consultant months ago recommended the town of Darien build an outdoor, seasonal pool in Weed Beach Park.

The town-owned park sits on Long Island Sound next to large houses in the Noroton Bay neighborhood, and property owners voiced concerns over security, traffic, noise, cost and building in a wetlands area vulnerable to damage from storm surges.

But a survey of 2,100 residents shows 66 percent believe a seasonal pool is needed at the park.

It's the latest chapter in an on-again, off-again saga to build the first public pool in Darien, a town of more than 21,000 that consistently makes lists of the wealthiest in America. The efforts stretch back some 40 years, according to some residents. When pool proposals were presented, they were defeated or withdrawn in the face of opposition.

"It's very frustrating. We just can't figure out where to put it," said resident Laurie Orem, who was on a committee that worked for years to get an indoor public pool in town. The committee considered Weed Beach Park, but quickly discarded the idea, she said.

"It was one of those not-in-my-backyard situations," Orem said of the response to an indoor pool. "We just knew there were a lot of wealthy neighbors in that vicinity and they would fight it."

In April, both supporters and opponents of the Weed Beach Park plan packed a Parks and Recreation Commission hearing, and many voiced their opinions.

Resident Amanda Craig told the commission the private clubs with swimming pools in town are too expensive for her family and the waiting lists are several years long.

"I'm dying for a pool," Craig said. "I can't imagine what it's like for my son to grow up in a community without a pool. ... I think Darien eventually is going to have to have a pool."

Peter Van Winkle was among the opponents. He said his main concern was the potential for storm damage. The 85-year-old engineer has lived in Noroton Bay for more than 40 years and owns a waterfront home not far from Weed Beach Park. After Superstorm Sandy in 2012, he said, three homes near him were so damaged they had to be torn down.

"I just think personally it's a risky, expensive venture," he said Friday. "You could end up after a big storm having a quarter to a half million dollars of damage being done. I have no objection to a pool. I just don't think it should be built in a hazardous area."

Besides the survey showing two-thirds support for a pool at Weed Beach Park, a petition signed by nearly 600 pool supporters was submitted to town officials and 100 people sent emails to the town saying they were in favor of a pool.

Despite the strong support, the Parks and Recreation Commission decided to go back to the drawing board and evaluate several possible locations, including Weed Beach Park, as part of an update to Darien's master park plan.

First Selectman Jayme Stevenson, the town's top elected official, said she grew up in a Pennsylvania town that had three community pools, and she supports the concept of a public pool in Darien.

"I like the idea of having public swimming available to all," she said. "When the time is right, when we have enough local support and we feel as though we're ready to afford a community swimming pool, I think it's a fantastic idea."