To the Editor:

In a time of contentious development efforts around mostly green spaces in Newtown, it is refreshing to see the cooperative effort of a developer, the town, and other stakeholders to revive the existing Taunton Press property at 63 South Main Street. I appreciate President Phil Clark’s leadership in having Claris invest in Newtown in a collaborative and positive manner.

As president of the Pootatuck Watershed Association I am concerned about any development and its impact on our streams and underlying aquifers’ water quality. Claris’s proposed design and concept will restore economic vitality to the existing campus while only increasing the current impervious surface area by 3 to 4%. For me that 3 to 4% of additional disturbed and covered ground is a reasonable trade-off to keep Claris’s headquarter offices in Newtown, provide retail space, plus add over 70 residential units in the heart of town. This is a much better long-term approach in my opinion than developing new greenfield sites.

I am glad to see Claris’s willingness to invest not only in buildings but the added infrastructure to protect the ecological heritage of Newtown. This project would grow Newtown’s economic engine but also benefit the natural environment by improving the existing stormwater management infrastructure to slow, filter and cool water before it is discharged into the bordering Deep Brook and associated wetlands. The environment would also benefit from eliminating the existing septic field by tying into the public sewer. The spirit in which all this is being done is special and appreciated. My hope is Claris’s example becomes a model for how to holistically approach future development and redevelopment in Newtown.

I encourage Newtown’s Economic Development department to look for similar opportunities and investment parties who are willing to invest in Newtown by redeveloping idle and underutilized properties in a way that is sustainable both economically and ecologically. A healthy economy is dependent upon maintaining a healthy watershed; without good water the economic engine stops growing or worse stops.

Randy Walker

Newtown