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City of Malden
200 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148
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Malden, Massachusetts Official City Government Website

Community > Malden Master Plan and Visioning Project

Malden Master Plan and Visioning Project

On August 11, 2010 the Malden Planning Board adopted the Master Plan (dated July, 2010).  The Plan has been field with the State Department of Housing and Community Development and with the Mayor and City Council.  The City of Malden Master Plan is the product of planning activities conducted by the Malden Planning Board and Planning Department since 2005 with technical assistance provided by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) since 2007. The Malden Master Plan was developed in three phases, funded by the City of Malden Community Development Block Grant Program. Per Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 41, Section 81D, the Malden Planning Board is enabled and authorized to create a master plan to provide a basis for decision-making regarding the long-term physical development of Malden.

The Malden Master Plan was developed in three phases. Phase I used a community-based planning process to create The Malden Vision. The Malden Vision forms a concise statement of the community’s goals and provides a guide for future planning and development. Phase II built upon the visioning by identifying specific land use and zoning actions that the City could take to make the Malden Vision a reality. During this phase of the project, MAPC worked with the Malden Planning Board, Planning Staff and the newly-formed Master Plan Steering Committee. The Master Plan Steering Committee played an important role at two critical points during the master planning process: 1) the committee assisted with the program design and reviewed maps prior to the April 2009 Public Forum, and 2) the committee reviewed the zoning recommendations made by MAPC. The product of Phase II was the Land Use Plan and Zoning Recommendations. This document, the Malden Master Plan, was developed during Phase III. It is the culmination of the Malden Vision, the recommended land use plan and recommendations, and planning documents related to the topics identified during the Malden Master Planning process. The Malden Master Plan brings together recommendations from a variety of sources into a single, cohesive document that can guide the City as it develops, redevelops, and changes.

During the late 1970s, the City of Malden adopted the Zoning Ordinance, completed a comprehensive master plan and prepared its first survey and inventory of historical properties. While there were many amendments to the Zoning Ordinance, the master plan was updated periodically during the 1980s. During the 1990s, a Downtown plan, citywide open space plan and a second inventory of historic properties were completed. Over the last decade, the City considered the impacts of on-going multifamily residential growth and studied the vacancy rates of apartment buildings; major traffic intersections across the city; the status of its utility infrastructure systems; and studied the redevelopment of Government Center and Pleasant Street. The City also updated its open space plan and completed a third and fourth survey and inventory of historic properties.

Several previous and current planning documents were consulted for the Malden Master Plan. For a list of these documents and an explanation for how each document was incorporated, please see the Annotated Bibliography at the end of the Malden Master Plan. The City of Malden Master Plan includes a community vision statement, land use and zoning recommendations, and visions, goals and strategies for five planning elements: 1) transportation, 2) residential development, 3) economic development, 4) community facilities and public services, and 5) cultural and natural resources. The document culminates in an Implementation Plan, with recommended actions and next steps. All goals and policies communicated in this document reflect the input and participation of over one thousand Maldonians.

Click here to view Malden Master Plan

The Malden Vision

The Malden Vision was adopted by the Malden Planning Board and endorsed by the Malden City Council in 2008.  The Malden Vision, a concise statement of the community’s goals and decision-making guide for future planning and development, is the result of a year-long planning process and citywide public visioning activities conducted by the Planning Board and Department with technical assistance provided by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and funded by the City’s Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), which is administered by the Malden Redevelopment Authority.   With funding from the City’s CDBG Program, the City has again contracted with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to implement the Malden Vision and assist with master planning activities, including the Forum.  

This winter, with the input and support of the City Council, the Planning Board proceeded with the main implementation strategy recommended in the Malden Vision to form a Master Plan Steering Committee.   The Master Plan Steering Committee serves as an advisory body to the Planning Board and was established for the purpose of creating, adopting and amending a master plan for the City of Malden.  To achieve its purpose, the Committee will oversee and recommend master planning efforts; prioritize planning initiatives; guide implementation of the planning action items contained in the Malden Vision; and communicate project progress with the general Malden public, City Council and Mayor.

The Master Plan Steering Committee is chaired by a Planning Board member and includes representatives of the City Council Citizens Engagement Committee, City Council, Planning Board, Principal Planner and citizen representatives.  All Committee members must be Malden residents, and all wards of the City are represented on the Committee. Committee meetings are posted and open to the public. 

Click here to view the Malden Vision (5.87MB, PDF)

The Malden Visioning project is a part of proactive master planning activities of the Planning Board and Planning Department. The Visioning Project has included the Citywide Visioning Workshop held in June 2007 (see link for details and results), attended by nearly 300 Maldonians, and the Community Survey conducted during July and August 2007 (see link for details and results), taken by over 1,000 Maldonians.  The results of the Workshop and Survey were used to create the draft Malden Vision that was presented at the Ward Workshops, attended by over 200 Maldonians (see link for details and results).

VISIONING PROJECT LINKS:

The Malden Planning Board and Master Plan Steering Committee hosted 90 fellow citizens and City officials at a Master Planning Public Forum on the evening of April 30, 2009 in Malden Government Center. To see the Forum presentation, including keypad question results, and more, click on the links below.
The Master Planning Public Forum was the next step in the community-based master planning activities known as the Malden Visioning Project and part of on-going efforts to implement the Malden Vision, a statement of the community’s goals and a decision-making guide for future land use planning and development. Forum attendees participates in scenario planning exercises regarding housing development and gave feedback that will be considered to recommend revisions to the zoning ordinances consistent with the Malden Vision. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Please contact Michelle Romero, Principal Planner at mromero@cityofmalden.org or (781) 397-7020.