Manresa Island Corp., the nonprofit founded by Connecticut entrepreneur Austin McChord, has unveiled a concept plan for a rehabilitated forest on the former industrial power plant site in Norwalk.
The highly polluted 125-acre parcel at the mouth of Norwalk Harbor on Long Island Sound was for decades the site of an oil-burning power plant owned by NRG. The power plant closed in 2013.
McChord and his wife Allison bought it in 2024 with the idea of turning the site into a public park.
The 28-acre plan for what they’re calling the Northern Forest would be the first publicly accessible phase of the park.
Pending local and state approvals, the corporation hopes the forest will open in Spring 2027.
The site of the forest served as a coal ash dump for the former power plant. Since the closure a natural woodland has grown up, but the polluted site requires remediation before it is safe for public use.
The concept plan, designed by landscape architecture firm SCAPE, preserves and fortifies the existing woodlands while introducing three “forest pockets” — where remediation and ecological enhancement efforts will establish new native plant communities on layers of clean soil.
The three pockets will be connected by 1.15 miles of walking trails.
“This first phase of Manresa Wilds weaves new trails, protective fencing, and native plantings into the birch forest, preserving as much of the existing landscape as possible,” said Kate Orff, founding principal of SCAPE. “Our design for the North Forest balances safety, remediation, access, and rewilding.”
The site will be accessed via an entrance along Longshore Avenue that the corporation says is designed to safely manage traffic flow and minimize neighborhood impact.
There will be 50 on-site parking spots and two bus parking spots, along with bike racks and bathrooms.
A new bus stop — part of Norwalk Transit’s expanded route B service — is proposed to minimize traffic, a key concern for neighboring residents.
The Northern Forest concept plan requires local site plan approval and a wetland map amendment, as well as state-level remediation approval from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The corporation says the next phase of the park, which will include the adaptation of the power plant building into a community hub, is expected to be completed by 2032.
