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 (including two ADA-accessible van spaces and two bus-loading spaces), a small comfort station and infrastructure designed to meet resiliency standards. Traffic engineers said the site is modeled under the ITE park land-use category and estimated about 104 daily vehicle trips (a conservative doubling in sensitivity testing yields about 208 trips per day), with a weekday peak close to midday rather than commuter hours.

The presentation also outlined construction logistics: an 11-month schedule, a construction traffic program that anticipates about 4 haul trucks per hour during peak months and defined regional haul routes to keep truck traffic on major corridors. The applicant said barging of materials was explored for this phase but was not practical due to overlapping marine work at the site's barge area; barging remains under consideration for later phases.

The public-comment period produced mixed views. Supporters praised the new waterfront access and the project's education partnerships, including memoranda of understanding with local universities and the Maritime Aquarium. "This represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a waterfront public space," said David McCarthy, a long-time Norwalk resident.

Nearby residents and other commenters urged caution on parking, truck traffic, lighting and wildlife impacts. Several speakers from Village Creek and Harborview said they were concerned that a 40-space lot and a reservation system might not prevent spillover parking into nearby residential streets. Emma O'Neil, a Village Creek resident and landscape architect, questioned whether raising portions of the site (the comfort station sits at a proposed elevation of 15 feet) and importing fill would alter the site's hydrology.

The project team responded with operational and design mitigations: a proposed reservation system for initial openings, bus loading spaces to support school and education visits, a site security presence to manage on-site parking and the ability to turn cars away when the lot is full, and a planted buffer between the new access drive and existing residential streets. Project ecologists described exclusion fencing designed with a herpetologist to reduce vehicle mortality for diamondback terrapins and other measures to focus trail and disturbance in areas of lower ecological value.

On lighting, the applicant said fixtures are full-cutoff and mounted lower than existing Eversource poles; photometric exhibits submitted with the application show illumination limited to the driveway and parking area and not extending beyond the property line to the west at levels above 0.2 foot-candle. The team also said it is exploring back-shields and motion-sensor timing with Eversource to reduce night light when not needed.

Commissioners pressed the team to pursue barging where feasible for future phases, reduce unnecessary imported fill where possible and include operational conditions to manage parking and construction traffic. Several commissioners stressed the project should be implemented exactly as shown in the plans and reports attached to the application, and that significant changes would require returning to the commission. The chair and staff confirmed that any approval would be conditioned on the plans and reports filed with the application and that required revisions would be enforced through the city's permitting process.

After the applicant's final remarks the commission moved to vote. Commissioner Mark Volley made the motion to approve; a second was recorded as "Richard." A roll call of commissioners recorded unanimous support, and the motion passed. The approval covers both the special permit for importation of materials and the coastal site plan review for activities near tidal wetlands.

The next procedural step is for the applicant to submit any required zoning permits and revised plans that incorporate the comments and conditions noted by commissioners and staff. The applicant said it will return to the commission with future applications for subsequent phases of Manresa Wilds.