Malden Residents Asked To Take MBTA Communities Zoning Survey

MALDEN, MA — The City of Malden is reminding residents that they have until Sept. 15 to fill out the MBTA Communities Zoning Survey.

The 10-question survey, available online, relates to the city's compliance with the "MBTA Communities" law, which is designed to address the state housing shortage.

The state law requires "MBTA Communities " — communities like Malden that are served by the MBTA and have a subway or commuter rail station — to designate, through zoning, properties that may be used to comply with state-prescribed amounts of multi-family housing, including apartments/condominiums or townhouses.

These communities, according to the law, must have zoning districts where multi-family housing —buildings with three or more units — are allowed to be built. Plus, the law contains requirements regarding the density, size and location of zoning districts.

Failure to comply with the law may result in a community losing its eligibility for state grant programs, according to officials.

City officials said Malden is pursuing a path to compliance in which the city's inclusionary zoning for 15 percent affordable housing is preserved.

Before making any decisions about new zoning laws, city officials said they are considering the impact of additional housing, including to municipal revenue and services, traffic, infrastructure and schools.

Officials said community input is a part of the information-gathering process and that the survey will help the city understand residents' preferences related to multi-family housing in Malden.

Survey questions relate to home ownership, preferences for more multi-family housing, areas designated for multi-family housing and parking for residents of multi-family housing.