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Speakers call for recorded conservation easement and disclosure of ownership and conflicts for Manresa Wilds
Summary
At the July 29 hearing neighbors and civic groups said title sits with Manresa Osprey LLC (a for‑profit LLC), not the nonprofit operator; speakers asked the commission to condition any rezoning on a recorded conservation easement and conflict‑of‑interest disclosures for firms advising both city and owner.
Several speakers used the July 29 meeting to press the commission on ownership, governance, and long‑term protections for the Manresa site. Samuel Lee and others emphasized that Manresa Osprey LLC holds title and that the CT DEEP stewardship permit was issued to the LLC rather than to the nonprofit Manresa Island Corporation. Speakers warned that zoning rights travel with the land and could vest commercial development value in a privately held parcel unless legally binding conservation easements or deed restrictions are recorded.
"There is no conservation easement on this property. There is no deed restriction," Samuel Lee told commissioners, and he asked the commission to condition any zoning approval on a recorded conservation easement enforceable by a third party such as the Norwalk Land Trust. Lee also asked for formal conflict‑of‑interest disclosures related to HRNA Advisors, which several speakers said had advised both the city (on a strategic harbor study) and the private owner. The applicant said it would prepare and submit a memorandum addressing ownership and that to date the entity has paid taxes despite nonprofit activities; staff agreed to post the memo.
