Election 2017: Questions for City Council Candidates: Malden Hospital development

The 2017 Malden City Council elections are approaching. A Preliminary Election will be held in Wards 3, 6 and 8 on Tuesday, Sept. 19; the Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017.

To help Malden voters decide on which candidates to support, a group of citizens organized by Prisco Tammaro, a Malden resident, in partnership with local media,  developed a series of “Quality of Life” questions for City Council candidates. The questions were sent to the candidates in August with instructions on how to respond. The questions ranged from issues of affordable housing to development, grant writing and bike trails. Neighborhood View will run the answers to these questions every Friday for the next four weeks.

This week’s questions concern the appropriate level of development at the site of the former Malden Hospital. In 1999, Hallmark Health closed the 330,000-square foot hospital building and it remains vacant today. Hallmark has entered into a purchase-and-sale agreement with Fellsmere Housing Group to redevelop the 17.6-acre site. The Friends of Fellsmere Heights are pushing to preserve more open space on the site  with some housing.

Question 1: Current zoning allows for approximately 60 single-family homes at the land of the Malden Hospital. The latest developer proposes 314 units with 2 acres of rocky terrain for public ownership. A community vision proposed 16 acres of public open and recreational space and 2 acres of private development with 80 units. Considering the traffic concerns at Fellsway and enrollment concerns at Beebe, what is the maximum numbers of units you see as appropriate for that neighborhood?

Question 2: Would you support a compromise plan with a substantial public open and recreational space and some private residential space; with the public space upkeep being maintained by the developer, a Pine Banks model with Medford, or a third party environmental group?

Candidates were allowed 25 words to respond.

Note: NR indicates No Response.

 

Dave D’Arcangelo, Councilor At-Large, Incumbent

1. 0
2. No. As a premier property north of Boston, we should settle for nothing less than a world-class facility that brings jobs without burdening municipal resources.

 

 

 

Debbie A. DeMaria, Councilor At-Large, Incumbent

1. NR
2. YES. Options above are good possibilities. All decisions should be made based on what is fiscally best for our Malden and our residents.

 

 

 

Craig Spadafora , Councilor At-Large, Incumbent

1. 200
2. Yes, there is a need for open spaces and insufficient capital  available to accommodate within city budget. Malden should work closely with other communities and organizations.

 

 

 

Stephen P. Winslow, Councilor At-Large, Challenger

1. Less than 200
2. Yes, I support developing a comprise plan preferably with a 50-50 cost-share between Malden and Medford and private responsibility for upkeep.

 

 

 

Peg Crowe, Ward 1, Incumbent

1. NR
2. Yes. A compromise plan is not only necessary but required. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration in any plan proposed.

 

 

 

 

Paul A, Condon, Ward 2, Incumbent

1. NR
2. NR

 

 

 

John P. Matheson, Ward 3, Incumbent

1. 0
2. Residents do not want more density and I am standing up for them. Our residents want open space with some homes; not apartments and traffic.

 

 

 

Jennifer Lynn McClain, Ward 3, Challenger

1. 200
2. Yes. Assisted living unit to be coordinated with Glen Ridge Nursing Home and a public garden maintained by a third party connected to Fellsmere Park.

 

 

 

Candace L. Julyan, Ward 3, Challenger 

1. NR
2. “Ideal” number involves: a) minimal tree removal, b) balance between economic benefit to Malden and needs/preferences of neighboring residents, c) traffic. Compromise plan sounds promising.

 

 

 

 

Ryan J. O’Malley, Ward 4, Incumbent

1. NR
2. Yes. A development that brings jobs to
Malden is ideal. Any residential development should have a substantial amount of owner 
occupied units and a Community Benefits Agreement

 

 

 

Barbara M. Murphy, Ward 5, Incumbent

1. NR
2. NR

 

 

 

David Camell, Ward 6, Non-Incumbent

1. Less than 100
2. The developer’s current plan isn’t in the community’s best interest. We need compromise that minimizes impact, preserves green space, affordability, and produces revenue.

 

 

 

 

Joseph S. Gray, Ward 6, Non-incumbent

1. NR
2. I propose building a new kindergarten to grade 8 school on that site. That has been my stance since day one, in discussions both private and public.

 

 

 

 

 

Jerry Leone, Ward 6, Non-incumbent

1. 0
2. Yes. Yes to recreational and no to residents due to traffic concerns

 

 

 

 

Neal Anderson, Ward 7, Incumbent

1. NR
2. I will support whatever proposal the ward councillor and residents approve. As those most affected, their opinions should be given greater weight in the decision.

 

 

 

 

Scott Ciccone, Ward 7, Challenger 

1. 0
2. Instead of building more apartment units, we should attract a lucrative company that would support and maintain a recreational space for residents.

 

 

 

Jadeane M. Sica, Ward 8, Incumbent 

1. 60
2. Yes, if proper funding was available for us to do so and if the Ward Councillor and residents were in
 support.

 

 

Richard J. Correale Sr., Ward 8, Challenger

1. NR
2. NR

Peter Anastasia, Ward 8, Challenger

1. NR
2. Justice for the senior citizens handicap homeowners and tenants and the people of Malden.

 

The deadline to register to vote in the Municipal Election is Oct. 18, 2017. For general information, please see: http://www.cityofmalden.org/vote

To check your registration status, click here https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

To find out where you vote, please see http://www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/bal/MyElectionInfo.aspx

 

Photos for this feature were taken from the City of Malden website and candidates’  social media sites, where available.