Friends of Fellsmere Heights Acknowledges Collaboration

Dear Editor,

  The Friends of Fellsmere Heights had our first glimpse of the project to replace the former Malden Hospital in March of 2022. We didn’t know who would be using the proposed new building, but we were very excited at the prospect of new dedicated open space for the cities of Malden and Medford.

  During the many meetings since, Tufts Medicine and their partner, Acadia Healthcare, have linked their plans with ideas taken from Friends of Fellsmere Heights’ collaboration with Boston Architectural College’s Gateway Initiative, especially the results of our 2018-2019 survey. We think now is an appropriate time to look at those ideas and how community involvement has shaped them:

  1. The former Malden Hospital site will again be a place of healing. This was a key community priority, as shown in the survey. The new hospital, which will specialize in behavioral health, will meet an urgent need in Malden, Medford, and beyond.

  2. There will be open space available at the site, including a mix of permanent conservation land (owned by Tufts/Acadia) and space for passive recreational use (purchased by the City of Malden). Open space was another key priority from the survey.

  3. Neighborhood concerns about on-street parking are being balanced between the need to secure open space and healthcare parking. Parking was a third priority identified by the survey. This area is still under discussion, though significant changes have been made to the original plan.

  4. The design of the building was changed to limit the amount of space it occupies on the ground. The survey showed that the community would accept a taller building if it resulted in more open space.

  5. Elements of the old building will be preserved in a public memorial to the former hospital on the new hospital’s ground, in line with the survey and as recommended by the Malden Historical Commission’s consultant.

  6. And most recently, based on the results of the Malden Historical Commission’s meeting of March 22, 2023, there will be a major effort to document, and to preserve where possible, unique architectural features of the old buildings for potential reuse in the new open space. This is being done based on direction from the Malden Historical Commission and on public community input.

  Though Friends of Fellsmere Heights has felt the need to push for more at times, it’s clear that Tufts/Acadia have generally been responsive to the community. Therefore, we want to acknowledge and thank them for their commitment to making this a community project – something very different from the typical development process. We also have important shared goals, such as preserving the MBTA’s 99 bus route, where we will continue to work together. The new hospital and open space will be a joint success, and, in the end, we will be a stronger community for it.

Sincerely,

Prisco Tammaro, President, for

The Friends of Fellsmere Heights