THE MALDEN ADVOCATE – Friday, March 2, 2018

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Vol. 20, No. 9

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Friday, March 2, 2018

Malden’s achievements celebrated at State of the City By Barbara Taormina he hottest ticket in town this week was to Mayor Gary Christenson’s 2018 State of the City Breakfast at Anthony’s on Canal Street. For a mere $30, guests were treated to a buffet of scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, Danish pastry and plenty of talk about the strides being made in Malden. The Malden Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the breakfast, announced just before Valentine’s Day that the event was sold out. Those who didn’t snag tickets early were forced to stand at the back of the room to catch a glimpse of Christenson who, once again, delivered a pitchperfect speech with plenty of overhead slides, video gags and a thumping rock music sound track. Although it was Christenson’s speech, he really wasn’t in it. Instead, the mayor focused on the many people who work

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Mayor Gary Christenson is shown with students and Holocaust survivor Israel Arbeiter at the annual State of the City Address at Anthony’s on Tuesday, February 17. See more photo highlights on page 8. (Advocate photo by Ross Scabin)

for the city and their success stories and accomplishments, large and small. He started with the Fire Department and

highlighted the day last July when firefighters responded to three multiple-alarm fires within 24 hours. “Their quick

and skilled work insured that everyone got out of the buildings safely,� he said. He also praised the depart-

ment’s role in maintaining the Sprague Street Station. “We

ACHIEVEMENTS | SEE PAGE 5

Malden and Medford join forces to preserve hospital site By Barbara Taormina alden and Medford are teaming up to develop a plan for the redevelopment of the Malden Hospital site that will benefit both cities. Roughly 100 people turned up at the St. Francis of Assisi Parish center in Medford this week for a joint meeting of both Malden and Medford’s hospital site committees. City Councillors from both communities shared ideas and information with res-

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idents about the large condo development the Fellsmere Housing Group has proposed for the site, and about possible alternatives that would preserve much of the 18-acre parcel for the public. “This is the first time the two cities have had committees meet together for one issue,� said Medford City Councillor John Falco, who called the meeting “historic.� Ward 3 Councillor John Matheson, who heads up the Malden’s hospital site committee, told the group the meeting was just the beginning. “This is the first meeting of many meetings we hope to have to lay the groundwork for the site’s redevelopment,� he said.

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Matheson highlighted statistics from the recent moratorium study as part of a brief presentation on where Malden stands on the hospital site. He stressed that priorities for Malden residents were more parks and open space and added that there was little support in the city for more residential development projects. Matheson also explained that Fellsmere Housing Group has, once again, revised their plan and is now touting 250 condominiums rather than the previous proposal for a mix of 296 apartments and condos surrounded by 18 single-family homes. Matheson also mentioned that the Malden City Council had received a letter from Mayor Gary Christenson

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asking councillors to review the new plan to see if the benefits outweigh the costs of the project. The hospital site is zoned for single-family houses, and Fellsmere Housing Group would need a zoning variance to move the project forward. “I don’t foresee any zoning change proposals, and I am not going to vote for a zoning change that supports a developer,� said Matheson. For Medford residents, the major concern has always been traffic. The neighborhood surrounding the hospital site is already battered by commuter traffic heading to Route 93, which several people at the meeting suggested has grown worse with Malden’s growth spurt of large residential complexes. According to a 2016 traffic study done by the Medford Police, there were 3,254 cars traveling along Murray Hill Road during peak hours. Medford residents agreed that more open space would benefit both communities. The Friends of Fellsmere Heights, a local advocacy group hoping to preserve

much of the hospital site for public use, has been exploring redevelopment options. The Friends President, Prisco Tammaro, who also serves on Malden’s hospital site committee, explained his group’s 16 + 2 plan which calls for 16 acres of open space and two acres of some type of residential development, preferably senior housing. Tammaro said he originally favored preserving the entire site, but he was convinced by residents that some type of small residential development would help keep the area safe. And a private industry partner would help raise the $7 to $10 million needed to buy the site from its current owner, Hallmark Health. Hallmark took over the hospital in 1997 with the promise to keep it up and running to serve local residents. Three years later, Hallmark Health closed the hospital and put the building and land up for sale. Residents from both Malden and Medford agree that Hallmark Health has failed spec-

HOSPITAL | SEE PAGE 5

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