The nonprofit leading the development of Norwalk’s Manresa Island into a 125-acre publicly accessible park says it has demolished three 7.5 million gallon steel oil tanks, marking an early milestone in the project’s progress.
The tanks have sat unused on the island for over a decade. This demolition is the first major step in transforming the polluted industrial site into a 76,000-square-foot community park.
Manresa Island is a 125-acre parcel at the mouth of Norwalk Harbor on Long Island Sound that for decades was the site of an oil-burning power plant owned by NRG.
The plant was damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and permanently closed the following year.
The park is the project of Austin McChord and his wife Allison. McChord founded cybersecurity company Datto in Norwalk in 2007. Ten years later, the company was acquired by Vista Equity Partners for around $1.5 billion.
The couple formed Manresa Island Corp. in 2024 and bought the land for an undisclosed sum.
The shoreline will be restored into a public amenity with swimming areas and a boardwalk, while the former power plant will be made into an event space.
Gov. Ned Lamont will join local leaders including Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling for a press conference at the site Friday morning.
