Malden Center Zoning Change Spurs New Citizens Group

It’s not everyday that a meeting about zoning inspires a lot of passion, but tonight’s Planning Board meeting is about the heart of downtown Malden. A new citizens group has formed to investigate the changes and ask more questions.

The Citizens Association for Responsible Development of Malden—called CARDMalden—formed recently after the founding members heard about plans to build three six-story apartment buildings on the Mal’s supermarket site, located on Jackson street between a parking garage and power substation.

“I had asked a couple of councilors a year-and-a-half ago about what was happening on that site and no one knew,” said Lori Rittner, a founding member of CARDMalden. “In November, I asked someone else and they said this development was happening.”

The area is zoned for commercial use, and initially developers and the city discussed extending a Residential Incentive Overlay to include the Mal’s site. The current proposal would create a new zoning overlay to allow apartment buildings at the site. Tonight's meeting will only consider the proposed zoning overlay and not the Mal's development or any other specific plan for the area.

Zoning controls what can and can’t be built on a particular property. In a commercial zone, a developer can build a commercial building without any special permits, provided it met all the restrictions listed in the zoning. A zoning overlay allows for different uses on the same property, but that new use is not allowed by right; the city must approve the departure from the original zone restrictions on land use.

Because the original Malden Center overlay allowed for 12-story buildings and had restrictive parking requirements, the Downtown Revitalization Committee instead opted to try and create a new overlay, called RIO-B, which would control the Mal’s site and surrounding parcels. It would allow residential buildings, but they cannot exceed six stories.

It also softens the parking rules, allowing for fewer spaces. The reduction in spaces is warranted, according to developer Combined Properties, because the residents in the building will likely use the T to get to work everyday and thus are less likely to own more than one car.

Rittner said she feels the process is moving too quickly and without enough public input.

“I felt like maybe the public could have more input into this,” she said.

In particular, Rittner said she was concerned with the number of apartment units being built downtown. She said the city’s Master Plan and Visioning Project called for more mixed use in the area.

Rittner said CARDMalden was not formed to oppose the proposed apartment project, and that several members are cautiously supporting the current plan.

“We don’t want to be misconstrued,” she said. “It’s about the zoning change and what the implications are for the city. We want open communication.”

City Councilor Jim Nestor said he has attempted to contact CARDMalden several times to sit down and discuss the project but was rebuffed.

“I contacted them nine times. We had a woman agree to hold the meeting at her house,” said Nestor.

Rittner said CARDMalden is interested in meeting with Nestor, Combined Properties and any other stakeholders, but that meeting hasn’t come together.

According to Nestor, tonight is the first of many public hearings about the proposed development. Tonight’s meeting is specifically for gaining public input on the proposed zoning changes and not the project itself, he said.

“These are separate issues,” said Nestor.

Nestor said the new overlay was pursued because the current overlay, which controls several parcels along Pleasant and Florence streets, allowed for building heights that would tower over everything else along Exchange Street.

Just where this new overlay lands is a contentious topic. The current plan would include all property bounded by Exchange, Main, Centre and Commercial streets. Nestor said those boundaries are part of the discussion for tonight, and that the overlay's limits are likely to change.

“We’re going to ask them to cut back on the proposed overlay to remove the Bank of America building and 350 Main Street,” said Nestor.

Deborah Burke, economic development project director for the Malden Redevelopment Authority, said the current plan dovetails with the authority’s vision of downtown development but that no zoning changes should be made without due consideration.

“We have some concerns and feel they should maybe study the effect the news residential market would have on the marketplace,” said Burke. “We’re also concerned about how this would affect pedestrian safety."