Manresa Wilds reduces maximum amphitheater size, drops overnight lodging from district proposal

July 30, 2026

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NORWALK, Conn. — Manresa Wilds is no longer looking for its proposed special district to allow overnight lodging, which was allowed through a special permit in its original application to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Manresa Wilds and Manresa Island Corp. notified Planning and Zoning Director Steve Kleppin in a memo Tuesday that they would also lower the maximum size of an amphitheater in the zone from 150 to 100 seats.

While the outdoor classroom qualifies as an “amphitheater” for the purposes of deciding which uses are permitted, there are no plans for “large-scale” amphitheaters, according to Manresa Wilds.

The 150-seat cap in the proposed district was meant to provide “reasonable room for future expansion” if educational programs grew, according to the memo.

A building for overnight stays also wasn’t included in the “Concept Master Plan,” but Manresa Wilds notes in the memo that members of the community expressed interest in its potential. Both organizations “continue to believe these could be positive uses over the long term,” they wrote.

“At the same time, we have carefully considered the public comments made to date, particularly concerns from residents of the closest surrounding neighborhoods, as well as the comments raised by the commissioners,” the memo reads.

Liz Suchy, an attorney for Manresa Wilds, first informed the public about the modifications during Wednesday night’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

Editor’s note: NancyOnNorwalk will provide follow-up on this story with full coverage of Wednesday night’s meeting.

Comments

2 responses to “Manresa Wilds reduces maximum amphitheater size, drops overnight lodging from district proposal”

Brandon Buck

July 30, 2026

Better get ready to dodge out of the way of the fast-flying goal posts.

Watch.

This concession still won’t satisfy the NIMBYs.

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Manny Langella

July 30, 2026

I completely understand the traffic concerns, particularly because Woodward Avenue is limited and nearby residents deserve real protections. But traffic should be treated as a problem to solve, not a reason to slowly dismantle what could be one of the most significant projects Norwalk has seen in generations.

For years, the public wanted Manresa cleaned up, restored, and opened to the community. The site requires extensive and extraordinarily expensive environmental remediation. Earlier estimates placed major cleanup work in the tens of millions of dollars, even before fully addressing the power plant itself. Now we have local residents willing to invest private resources to remediate a contaminated industrial property and turn it into public waterfront space, environmental habitat, education, recreation, and something genuinely special for Norwalk.

The applicants have already responded to concerns by eliminating overnight lodging, reducing the amphitheater proposal, cutting lighting, increasing buffers, and discussing reservations, shuttles, remote parking, and public transportation. Those concessions should be acknowledged.

The city absolutely should require a serious and enforceable traffic plan. That could include phased attendance limits, reservation only vehicle access, satellite parking at the SoNo Collection, frequent shuttles from the train station, neighborhood parking protections, and separate approvals for major events. But why aren’t we putting the same energy into developing those solutions that we are putting into potentially shrinking or killing the project?

We cannot continually say that we want environmental remediation, public waterfront access, educational opportunities, and private investment, but then make every ambitious project impossible the moment difficult infrastructure questions arise. Protect the neighborhood, require accountability, and solve the traffic problem. Just do not lose a generational opportunity because solving it requires creativity and leadership.

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