Norwalk panel approves Manresa Wilds 'North Forest' special permit after debate over parking, lighting and remediation

NORWALK — The Norwalk Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously to approve a special permit and coastal site plan review for the North Forest phase of the Manresa Wilds project, clearing the way for a privately funded 28-acre park on the northern side of the former Manresa power-plant site.

Attorney Liz Saatchi, representing Manresa Osprey LLC, told commissioners the applications before the board (application 2025-94) are limited to the North Forest phase and that remediation, site security and public access plans were submitted as part of the record. "Manresa Wilds is a privately owned public park," Saatchi said, and the presentations and reports attached to the application would form the basis of any approval.

The applicant team described a "light-touch" landscape approach designed to open trails and three distinct "rooms" — an Eco Room for habitat and observation, a Gather Room for passive recreation, and a Learn Room intended for outdoor education. Gina Wirth of SCAPE, the landscape architect on the project, said the plan protects canopy where possible, adds a mix of native species and locates trails and boardwalks on capped, remediated areas to limit exposure to impacted soils.

Project engineers from Ty and Bond and eDesignDynamics said the North Forest would include roughly 1.5 miles of trails, a 40-space parking lot…