Malden City Council Tabs Newton Firm to Handle City Hall Redevelopment

The Malden City Council recently tabbed a Bay State real estate firm to handle the redevelopment of the combined City Hall and Police Station at 200 Pleasant St., Mayor Gary Christenson announced in a city press statement.

The council voted unanimously in favor of having Newton-based Jefferson Apartment Group, "a full-service real estate firm specializing in multifamily and mixed-use real estate investments through (their) acquisition, development, construction and property management services," according to the company's website, to redevelop the City Hall parcel. The council also authorized the Malden Redevelopment Authority to negotiate a Land Disposition Agreement with the proposed redeveloper by Jan. 31, 2014, according to the statement.

Jefferson Apartment Group, according to its marketing materials, focuses primarily on urban transit-oriented sites, reads the statement. It has proposed a mixed-use redevelopment of the City Hall site which includes apartments over street level retail and commercial space, according to the statement.

A five-member ad hoc committee recommended the developer designation to the City Council, according to the statement. Members of the committee include Council President Neal Anderson and Council members Neil Kinnon, Barbara Murphy, James Nestor and Craig Spadafora, adds the statement.

Malden put out a request for proposal for the redevelopment of the 2.19-acre parcel, located adjacent to the MBTA Orange Line, on Aug. 14.

"It's considered the major impediment to revitalizing the downtown because it's directly in the middle of Pleasant Street as you enter Malden Square," the mayor said about City Hall, adding that the building is about 125,000 square feet when the city realistically only needs 25,000 to 30,000 square feet to operate out of, in a past press statement. "The building needs $10-12 million in repairs. It needs a new roof, it needs new windows, it needs new utilities and when you put all those factors together I think it makes sense for us to try and get out from where we are."

Four development companies submitted responses to the RFPs by the Oct. 11 deadline, according to the statement. According to Anderson, all four proposals were from "credible firms" with extensive experience in residential and commercial redevelopment efforts, adds the statement.

On Nov. 12 Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki visited Malden to announce that the city would receive a $3 million grant through the 2013 MassWorks Infrastructure Program.

Through the MassWorks Program, the Patrick Administration assists municipalities by investing in infrastructure improvements, including the development of new and sustainable housing and economic initiatives, reads a city press statement. The grant funding will help Malden cover some of the costs associated with demolishing City Hall.

"This MassWorks grant demonstrates the State's commitment to Malden's plans to unlock renewed opportunity and growth in downtown Malden," Christenson said in a statement. "We are truly grateful to Secretary Bialecki and Governor Patrick for their support."

"This project is moving forward and I’m grateful to the City Council for their full support," Christenson said in a statement.