above: Abandoned since 2013, the former Manresa Island power plant remains largely untouched, preserving traces of the workers and machinery that once powered the region.
Step onto Norwalk’s 125-acre Manresa Island for a preview of the ambitious plans taking shape for the waterfront property’s future
Walking through the now-defunct coal- and oil-run power plant built in 1960 on Norwalk’s Manresa Island, you can still feel traces of the life that once filled the building. Magazines and catalogs lie open on desks, employee ID cards still hang near the time clock station, even an empty Tropicana orange juice container sits abandoned on a counter. The enormous turbines now feel more like works of art than engines of industry, as outdated electrical wires and other dormant equipment stand frozen in time inside a facility that once powered the surrounding community. The public has never been able to walk these halls since the plant abruptly shuttered in 2013. When employees left that day, they would not return to work, as funding suspended operations.
Free tours are now available for anyone interested in experiencing the site firsthand. Visitors can explore both the power plant and the island’s sweeping waterfront landscape while learning about plans for a public park designed to foster learning, exploration, relaxation and a deeper connection to nature.
The vision for the publicly accessible park began about two years ago, when Norwalk residents Austin and Allison McChord kayaked along the Sound one morning and passed the deserted Manresa Island. Austin, a local entrepreneur and software engineer best known for founding data backup company Datto in 2007, and his wife Allison, have since become fully invested and committed to transforming the island into a park open to anyone and everyone who would like to visit.
The power plant’s towering smokestack stands watch over expansive waterfront vistas, with Long Island Sound in the foreground and New York City visible on the horizon
“It was actually pretty easy to purchase when we originally looked into it,” Austin explains. The couple bought the 125-acre island in 2024 for $40 million and quickly launched Manresa Island Corp., the nonprofit organization behind Manresa Wilds. Fully funded by private philanthropy, the project will take a phased approach to remediating, revitalizing and creating an ecologically sound environment over the course of the next decade.
“There have been plenty of projects that begin as ideas and never come to life, but we are fully committed to making this park happen,” Austin says. “We’ve never been more energized for the next phase, getting the park opened.”
After extensive community feedback, close work with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and several revisions to the park plan—which will ultimately open up almost two miles of waterfront access—the final framework is now in place. SCAPE Landscape Architecture firm has been brought on to design the site’s landscape, alongside architecture firm Bjarke Ingles Group, which is leading the vision for reviving the existing buildings and smokestack.
First, the land— heavily polluted from decades of power plant operations—requires extensive remediation before it can be made safely accessible. That cleanup is already underway, thanks to a $410 million endowment from the McChords themselves. These funds are dedicated to restoring the land and ensuring long-term sustainability, although additional resources will be needed to fully realize the vision—which includes transforming the steel-and-concrete turbine hall, administrative buildings and boilers into community accessible spaces.
Planned outdoor amenities include beach access, educational-based playgrounds, an outdoor pool with concessions, walking trails, kayak launches and a 3.5-acre Great Lawn. The 28-acre Northern Forest—the first phase in the park’s opening—is scheduled to debut in spring 2027. The forest will feature newly planted walking trails, gathering and educational spaces, a new entrance from Longshore Avenue, a small parking area, bike racks, bathrooms, water bottle filling stations and a bus stop serviced by Norwalk Transit District to improve accessibility.
Following the opening of the Northern Forest, Phases 2 and 3 will be put into action to advance the broader landscape and building plans, including the pool, pavilion and play areas. The current timeline calls for the entire park to be operational by 2035, while the boiler building will be preserved for future development at a later stage.
Free guided tours of Manresa Island are available by advance reservation and can be scheduled online at manresawilds.org/tours. In addition to standard visits, there are also select photography and art-focused days, designed to give artists and photographers extended access to capture the site’s industrial structures and coastal landscape in transition. Space is limited, and visitors are encouraged to reserve their spots early.