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The What

The What: Latest with Manresa Wilds, Air Quality in SW CT, and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of July 20.

The What: Latest with Manresa Wilds, Air Quality in SW CT, and more
Hope everyone enjoyed Sunday's beautiful weather after a crazy last few days with the weather around the region. (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, July 20

Happy Monday! It’s getting to be the dog days of summer around here and the meeting list is a little light this week. But hope you are all enjoying your summer—despite some of the storms and the air quality issues our region has been facing.   

Highlights 

This section gives a brief overview of the key items in the newsletter.

Spotlight

This section features our main reporting each week.

A proposed rendering of the transformed power plant on Manresa Island at a public presentation in February 2026. (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Austin and Allison McChord have big dreams for Manresa Island (currently home to a decommissioned power plant)—a public park, a hub of scientific research and innovation, an event space and gathering spot, a model for other former industrial sites across the country. But before any of those can happen, their plan for the island has to be approved locally, by Norwalk’s Planning and Zoning Commission. 

And a bunch of local residents have made it clear to the commission they don’t support the vision for this site. More than 100 people attended a public hearing on Wednesday, July 15 with dozens more watching on Zoom. While some members were supportive of the project, many raised concerns about it.  

Jan Schaefer, the president of the Manresa Association, a group of surrounding neighborhoods that formed after the power plant shutdown, thanked the McChords for purchasing the island and saving it from future deterioration. However, she noted that the group had some pressing concerns with the proposal, particularly with the main road to and from the site. 

“Traffic and safety is a top concern,” she said. “Woodward Avenue is already congested—the flow is currently compromised when buses, trucks, and large vehicles drive over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic as they navigate past parked cars. There are also safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists.” 

She called on the city to also step up and enhance the local roads if this project was to be approved. 

“If the city wants to have an extraordinary regional destination, the city needs to match that vision with transportation planning of the same caliber,” she said. “If the city cannot support the full scope of the plan safely and sustainably, then scale and the scale and intensity of the project should align with the appropriate infrastructure.” 

As the commission continues to gather public input and weighs the proposal, let’s explore what’s proposed for the site, what some of the main points of contention are, and what’s next for the former industrial property. 

You check out our full piece or watch our video, which highlights the status of the site. 

This Week at a Glance

This section includes a list of meetings, events, and programming happening around southwest Connecticut each week.

Bridgeport

Featured Meeting: No featured meeting this week.

Stamford

Featured Meeting: No featured meeting this week.

Norwalk

Featured Meeting: There will be a public information session on Thursday, July 23 at 6 p.m. on the Proposed Traffic Signal System Upgrade and Transit Signal Priority Implementation. Officials said the goals of the project include “reducing traffic congestion, reducing transit delays, improving transit reliability, and increasing the safety and comfort of all road users along some of the most heavily used routes.” The city received a $3 million federal grant to cover most of the project, which officials estimate will cost around $3.7 million.

Fairfield

Featured Meeting: The Town Plan and Zoning Commission will meet on Tuesday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m. and a review a request from Summit Development to add four affordable units at the approved 18-unit development at 1427 Kings Highway instead of two on-site affordable condominium units at 250 Pequot Avenue 

Greenwich

Featured Meeting: The Planning & Zoning Commission will meet on Tuesday, July 21 at 4 p.m. and hold a pre-application review for a proposal to demolish three properties at Greenwich and West Putnam Avenue and build a mixed-use property on the site featuring retail and four residential units. The commission will also review a proposal to convert an office building at 1 East Weaver Street into a 44-unit residential structure.

Darien

Featured Meeting: The Advisory Sidewalk Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 23, and review a list of “target locations” where the committee would like to add or improve sidewalks.

Westport

Featured Meetings: On Monday, July 20 at 6 p.m., the Planning and Zoning Commission will continue reviewing and discussing a proposal from the town to install lights at Wakeman Field B for school and community athletic activities.

Stay in touch!

As we continue to grow and evolve, please join us! You can do that by:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

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