🔹 What's Happening With Project X?

[Stlin]

Kind of a vaguer inquiry than most, but: what's going on with Malden? I feel like they put up a lot of great TOD downtown around Pleasant and Exchange and then just....stopped? There are still plenty of underutilized lots and such in and around downtown (like this corner of Charles and Middlesex) but it doesn't seem like there's a single thing being built in the city in 2024. Very different than its neighbors like Somerville, Everett, and Chelsea. Was there a concerted effort made by City Hall to slow down growth?

Part of that is Malden does a terrible job of making documents publicly accessible, but I wouldn't say Malden is anti-development, but they've gotten most of the low-hanging fruit. That site in particular was originally planned for a Mass-Timber framed office building that got as far as foundation pours before being canceled during the pandemic - it's since been pivoted to a residential development that has a fully approved special permit, though I rather doubt it's still mass timber.

That said, the original office proposal required zero parking - thanks to some outdated ordinances in Malden, residential does, and they don't actually own the repair shop site.
Current Proposal:

Prior Proposal:

 

[RandomWalk]

I am interested in the history of how Malden center ended up with the mega-block hellscape. It feels like the West End got copy and pasted over a street car suburb.

I do recall one of the blocks having a minor league baseball stadium proposal, but that’s probably dead along with the majority of MiLB.

 

[JeffDowntown]

I am interested in the history of how Malden center ended up with the mega-block hellscape. It feels like the West End got copy and pasted over a street car suburb.

I do recall one of the blocks having a minor league baseball stadium proposal, but that’s probably dead along with the majority of MiLB.

There was a whole series of Urban Renewal projects in Malden run by the MRA in the late 1950's and 60's -- so somewhat like the West End or NY Streets areas.

"Dilapidated" neighborhoods were wholesale bulldozed.

Here is the history of just one:

Suffolk Square Remembered: The epicenter of Malden’s Jewish community lost to urban renewal - Neighborhood View

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neighborhoodview.org

Also Chapter 4 of this MIT Thesis from 1984 is about Malden Center's "redevelopment":

https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/77303/12875125-MIT.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

 

[TomOfBoston]

Has any work started on Northeastern's huge 840 Columbus dorm yet? It has final city approval.

 

[Wiltonion]

Has any work started on Northeastern's huge 840 Columbus dorm yet? It has final city approval.

Walked by in the last week or two. Still being used as a parking lot. No signs of movement.