Taunton Residences at Deep Brook is a brand-new apartment complex that just celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, October 8. This complex is unique because of what the buildings used to be: Taunton Press. The two buildings, which together formed a 56,000 square foot office space, are now going to house 41 apartments and Claris Design Build’s new Newtown headquarters. Claris is currently constructing a third building which will have 42 apartments. A total of 83 apartments will reside on the Taunton Press site.

Phil Clark, president of Claris, spent several weeks going through the Planning & Zoning Commission to get this idea off the ground. The first meeting Clark went to was April 17, 2025. Clark explained to the commission that he passed up on the building a few times because he did not think Claris needed such a large space. By June 5, the applications for a text amendment to create a special design district, a zone change for 63 Main Street to be moved into this new district, and a special exception permit were all approved unanimously by Newtown Planning & Zoning Commission.

The property is 13 acres and has, as mentioned, two existing buildings, walking trails, and access to Deep Brook. Throughout the process, Clark worked closely with Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited, a conservation group. Neil Baldino, vice president of Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited, offered extensive advice as to how to keep Deep Brook in good condition as it is one of only nine trout tributaries left in the state.

Now, with buildings A and B open for residents, Claris, as well as the partners who were able to make this project a reality, gathered in the new lobby of Taunton Residences for a ribbon cutting. Clark began the celebrations with a few words.

“Last fall, we were standing outside, if you recall, for the groundbreaking, which signifies the start of a construction project, and here we are today celebrating the opening,” Clark said. The crowd erupted into applause.

Clark added, “We were doing our projections and trying to figure out how this is going to work, and at this time, October 2026, we were projecting to be about 25% leased up. We are 50% leased up right now.” The crowd clapped again before Clark added, “Right now, we’re also on time and under budget.”

Many from the crowd joked that this was right now as there is still another building under construction.

Clark then offered his thanks to some of the people on his team at Claris that helped make this dream a reality, including Magda Jankowska, senior architect and lead on the Taunton Press project, and Kim Uzwiak, project manager.

“[Uzwiak is] fairly new to the company and this is her first big project with Claris. I just can’t imagine sitting in that first meeting with her boss saying, ‘Hey, you’re gonna run this big project,’” Clark said. He also gave thanks to some other engineers that worked on the project.

Dr Rakesh Vali, a well-known and well-loved veterinarian at Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals, actually approached Clark and gave him the idea to turn Taunton Press into apartments last year. He was at the ribbon cutting, too, with his family and some employees from the animal hospital.

Clark called it Vali’s “brainchild,” and offered him thanks. During his speech, Clark noted that he was able to “save a building,” which is “rare.”

Clay Fowler, CEO and chairman of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, a partner on the project, spoke next. “What makes a good job is clearly a team … We’ve had fun doing this as a team … and I can tell you that Claris’ performance from top to bottom, from conceptualization, design, and actualization has been superb.

“The building is magnificent, and I actually didn’t really believe in it, but I didn’t know Newtown. I did know Phil … they believed in the job, they knew the town, so based on that I said, ‘Okay, we’ll do it with you,’ and I couldn’t be more pleased with the result,” Fowler told the crowd. He ended his comments by saying that Connecticut is a “model for the country” due to how the government has incentivized housing.

Frank Caico spoke next. Caico is executive vice president of development at Spinnaker and a Newtown resident himself. He shared that he is also “very proud” to be part of this redevelopment and through the hundreds of communities he has helped create over the years, this one “ranks close to the top.” Caico added that he hears very positive remarks from people in town about this project and offered thanks to the subcontractors that “actually do the heavy lifting and the work.”

Pat Guliano, managing director of multifamily housing with Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, spoke next. He explained how the Build For CT program made this possible and that through this program, 17 units are going to be income restricted. Guliano added this kind of housing is for “teachers, first responders, and healthcare workers who make up the backbone of our communities.”

First Selectman Bruce Walczak took the floor afterwards. He joked that there was “nothing left to say,” so he went off-script. He pointed out that many residents drove by this property every day and were “worried” about what was going to happen to the Newtown landmark. He gave credit to former first selectmen Jeff Capeci and Don Rosenthal for “creating an environment in Newtown that is unique.” Walczak welcomed the residents and added that Newtown is “thrilled” to see “history reinvented on this site.”

State Representative Mitch Bolinsky was then invited to the microphone. He also joked that there was nothing left to say, so he stuck to his “well-defined script,” which was a citation from Connecticut General Assembly, honoring and recognizing Claris Design Build on the creation of Taunton Residences at Deep Brook.

“We wish you, on behalf of the Connecticut General Assembly, the very, very best for your future, congratulate you, and thank you for the investment that you’ve made in this truly innovative piece of property that will benefit many, many people in this community, up and down the spectrum,” Bolinsky said to Clark.

Senator Richard Blumenthal was the final speaker at the ceremony. He began by saying that he was “really excited to be here.” Blumenthal explained that there are 90,000 units that are needed in Connecticut and there are about 86,000 job openings. He pointed out that those numbers are similar, and that there can be a line drawn as to why those jobs are remaining open.

“We all know an investment takes real risk and entrepreneurial spirit and courage, and this investment is so important, not only for the quantity of the housing, but the quality of the work,” Blumenthal said. “It is truly a beautiful building, it is a gem … [Claris has] decided to put new wine in old bottles and make something really artistically valuable here.”

Blumenthal added that he is going to ask his colleagues in Washington if their states are doing projects like this because “this really is a model for the entire country.”

After Blumenthal’s comments, Clark invited the group outside for the official ribbon cutting. Clark held big, golden scissors in his hands and, with his team, state officials, Walczak, and so many others, snipped the ribbon, signifying a new life for Taunton Press at 63 South Main Street.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.