“Fire Up the Grills� Centerfold Deals see pages 12 & 13
Vol. 20, No. 14
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www.advocatenews.net
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617-387-2200
Friday, April 6, 2018
AN EGGS-ELLENT TIME Developers present new plan for old Malden Hospital site By Barbara Taormina
Malden plans to slow down to 25 mph By Barbara Taormina alden streets may soon be safer thanks to a new citywide 25-miles-per-hour speed limit on municipal roads. “This is a project that’s a long time in coming,� said Ward 1 Councillor Peg Crowe, who has been working for years to slow down traffic on Malden streets. Although Crowe initially faced several roadblocks, state laws on control over municipal speed limits have since changed, and many cities and towns have
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opted to reduce the standard 30 mph limit in a thickly settled district to 25 mph. Crowe and Ward 5 Councillor Barbara Murphy and Councillor-at-Large Stephen Winslow have been working with the Traffic Commission on a 25 mph speed limit throughout Malden with the exception of state roads and streets that already have signs posting speed limits. “We wanted to make sure it was a smooth transition for residents,� said
SPEED LIMIT | SEE PAGE 4
Be Safe Not Sorry!
EVERETT TAXI MALDEN TRANS
(781) 322-5050 (617) 389-8100 (781) 324-5050 ~Family owned locally for 40 years~
families with children living in his award-winning development, The Pinehills, in Plymouth. But that massive project, which includes about 1,800 homes, golf courses, restaurants, shops and its own post office, is located in the shadow of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, which has a troubled histo-
alden had a look at the Fellsmere Housing Group’s latest version of a redevelopment plan for the former hospital site during a presentation at this week’s City Council meeting. Developer Tony Green touted the group’s new scaleddown proposal for 250 residential units, which includes 214 condos, 18 townhouses and 18 single-family homes. A handful of councillors and residents responded with questions and comments about traffic, density, the impact of city schools, the desire for open space and the need for housing for local seniors and veterans. After signing a purchase and sales agreement with Hallmark H e a l t h , w h i c h Fellsmere Housing Group is proposing a smaller residential development owns the hospi- project for the old Malden Hospital site. tal site, Fellsmere Housing Group proposed a tering Malden schools would ry of safety, maintenance plan with a mix of more than be small; however, he also and engineering problems. 300 apartments, condos and said the project is not a can- The location of The Pinehills houses. Green said that orig- didate for a 55-plus type of may have also been a factor inal proposal was changed development built exclusive- in discouraging families with in response to meetings and ly for seniors. “We would be small children from settling feedback from residents in eliminating about half of our into that development. Medford and Malden. “We market if we went with someCouncillor-at-Large Stethink this plan and this invest- thing that required everyone phen Winslow raised the ment is good for Malden,� to be 55,� he said. Instead, fact that the City Council rehe said, stressing that rent- the development group cit- cently passed a three-stoal units have been eliminat- ed design plans that have a ry height restriction on builded and the plan is now an “all master bedroom on the first ownership proposal.� floor and secondary bedPROJECT | SEE PAGE 6 As with earlier propos- rooms on the second floor, als, the plan includes a do- and condos without individnation of two acres of land ual backyards as factors that to expand Fellsmere Park would discourage interest of and a seven-acre buffer of most young families looking trees around development to buy a home. with trails that will be open to Green also mentioned that the public. Fellsmere Hous- there are relatively few young
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Natalia DiSessa, Joshua and Katherine Dube, and Amaya and Achai Griffin are all smiles during the Egg Hunt during the Easter service at St. Joseph’s Parish in Malden. See more photo highlights inside on page 11. (Advocate photo by Ross Scabin)
ing Group is also offering $500,000 in mitigation money to the city and promising an estimated $1.5 million in annual tax revenue from the development. Green said the houses and condos would target a market of young and old empty nesters and, as a result, the number of new children en-
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