Malden City Council passes landmark zoning overlay under new MBTA Communities Laws

Zoning overlay passage ensures Malden meets deadline for compliance with new law; Councillors voice objections over mandate, but ordinance enrolled

By Steve Freker

Malden is officially in compliance with perhaps the most controversial mandates that have been placed on this community in this century. After a nearly two-year odyssey of planning, preparation and discussion input from elected officials, consultants, city agencies and members of the public, the City Council on Tuesday night voted 10-1 to pass the final iteration of a zoning overlay ordinance that puts Malden in compliance with the “MBTA Communities Law.”

The MBTA Communities Law was adopted in 2021 and requires some 177 cities and towns served by the transit agency – including Malden – to have at least one zoning district “of reasonable size” where multifamily housing is allowed within a half-mile of a commuter rail, subway or bus station or ferry terminal, if applicable.

Malden has two dual rapid transit stations with Orange Line and Commuter Rail service: Malden Center, located on Commercial Street in the heart of the downtown, and Oak Grove Station, located at Washington and Winter Streets.

A two-year-plus process – which included a lot of hours, meetings and public hearings involving the Malden Planning Board, Office of Strategic and Community Development and members of the Malden City Council, including the Ordinance Committee – culminated in Tuesday’s vote. The vote came just in time and before the December 31 deadline imposed by state officials on behalf of the MBTA. Had Malden not passed and put the new zoning overlay ordinance in place ahead of the deadline, it would have placed the city in jeopardy in terms of receiving new or continued state transportation and development-oriented funds and grants.

After a marathon, over three-hour Planning Board meeting held last week, the members voted to send a recommended zoning overlay plan – with two specific residential districts – to the City Council for its review. On Tuesday night, the City Council itself held its own nearly three-hour meeting where all of the Councillors weighed in on the preferred zoning plan, which was ultimately passed and then, after a suspension of the rules, ordained into municipal law.

  (A follow-up story complete with details of the discussion of the Councillors at Tuesday’s meeting will appear in next Friday’s Advocate.)

City Council President Barbara Murphy (Ward 5), the lone vote against the measure, did offer gratitude for all the City Councillors who worked on the process, including Ordinance Committee Chairperson Peg Crowe (Ward 1) and specifically, Councillor-at-Large Craig Spadafora and Ward 6 Councillor Stephen Winslow, who did extensive work helping come up with the eventual final product produced by the Planning Board, with their input.

MBTA COMMUNITIES MULTI-FAMILY
OVERLAY DISTRICT

Malden Center Subdistrict
11 CANAL ST
35 CANAL ST
CENTRE ST
#053255508
63-85 CENTRE ST
124 CENTRE ST
11 CHARLES ST
17 CHARLES ST
COMMERCIAL ST
#053235501B
102 COMMERCIAL ST
40-66 EXCHANGE ST
70-76 EXCHANGE ST
100-150 EXCHANGE ST
10 FLORENCE ST
39 FLORENCE ST
99 FLORENCE ST
7 JACKSON ST
MAIN ST
#050256905
32 PEARL ST
89 PEARL ST
100 PEARL ST
83 PLEASANT ST
95-105 PLEASANT ST
RAMSDELL ROAD
#049279931
10-20 SUMMER ST
7 WASHINGTON ST
17-19 WASHINGTON ST
***
Malden Center
High-Rise Subdistrict
36 DARTMOUTH ST
504-514 MAIN ST
180 PLEASANT ST
195 PLEASANT
***
Oak Grove Subdistrict
5 ISLAND HILL AVE
MAIN ST
#062308810
MAIN ST
#062308811
244-248 MAIN ST
260 MAIN ST
550 MAIN ST
556 MAIN ST
1038 MAIN ST
1100 MAIN ST
1128 MAIN ST
30-32 MAPLE ST
33 MAPLE ST
36 MAPLE ST
RAMSDELL RD
#049279932
SUMMER ST
#020120012
74-80B SUMMER ST
82 SUMMER ST
89 SUMMER ST
101-109 SUMMER ST
117 SUMMER ST
120 SUMMER ST
134 SUMMER ST
***
Medium Subdistrict
474-488 BROADWAY
10 OVERLOOK RIDGE DR
51 OVERLOOK RIDGE DR
181 KENNEDY DRIVE
244 KENNEDY DRIVE
8 QUARRY LANE 185 575 570 MCMOD MD
12 QUARRY LANE 186 575 507 MCMOD MD
15 QUARRY LANE 186 575 510 MCMOD MD
4 STONE LANE
******
MANDATORY
MULTI-USE DISTRICT
12 BICKFORD RD
167-169 CENTRE ST
185 CENTRE ST
0 CHARLES ST
22 CHARLES ST
28-30 CHARLES ST
31 COMMERCIAL ST
51 COMMERCIAL ST
65 COMMERCIAL ST
77 COMMERCIAL ST
89 COMMERCIAL ST
99-109 COMMERCIAL ST
43 DARTMOUTH ST
4-6 EVELYN PLACE
2 FLORENCE ST
480 MAIN ST
492- 500 MAIN ST
521- 539 MAIN ST
69 MIDDLESEX ST
PLEASANT ST
#031133309
41- 49 PLEASANT ST
51- 61 PLEASANT ST
126-150 PLEASANT ST
137-147 PLEASANT ST
157 PLEASANT ST
169-185 PLEASANT ST
215 PLEASANT ST
321 PLEASANT ST
332 PLEASANT ST
50- 52 SUMMER ST
54- 72 SUMMER ST