10 Takeaways from Malden’s 2026 State of the City Address

By Lorna Garey

In front of more than 100 residents and staff at the Malden Senior/Teen Community Center, including student hosts who provided tours and a buffet, Mayor Gary Christenson highlighted the contributions of city departments that generally don’t spend time in the spotlight. 

Christenson’s presentation, while upbeat, recognized the difficult fiscal reality Malden faces.

“This year we’re stepping back from me coming out of a time capsule or hosting Jeopardy, and instead, we’re focusing on a more personal delivery,” he said. “Tonight, I am confident that you will see, just as I feel in my heart, that the state of our city is resilient — resilient not because we are without challenges, but because we have the people ready to meet this moment, the creativity to solve problems, a community that lifts one another up and the determination to see our work through.”

Here are ten takeaways from the 2026 address, which can be seen in its entirety thanks to Urban Media Arts, including news on the return of the Malden Farmer’s Market.

1. Securing millions in grant funding ‘central to how we operate’
To keep the city moving forward in a beyond-tight fiscal environment, Malden has leaned heavily into securing grants across nearly every city department. Since establishing a Grants Manager position in 2021, the city has brought in more than $37 million in funding, including $15 million in FY25, said Christenson. He highlighted some wins:

• Lead pipe removal: The city has replaced nearly 330 lead service lines, half of them in neighborhoods with the greatest concentration of young children. He announced a new $10 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which, combined with the MWRA Loan and Grant Program, will put Malden on track to eliminate all remaining lead service lines by 2032.
• Housing investments: The city leveraged $7.8 million in grants and developer fees to unlock more than $187 million in state, federal and private investment for local housing projects. 

“Looking ahead, more than 200 additional affordable units are in the pipeline for Malden residents,” said Christenson. “213 Main St. is expected to break ground this fall, with future construction planned for Overlook Ridge and 245 Bryant St.”

• Infrastructure & safety: Malden received a $500,000 award from the MassDOT Complete Streets program for intersection and road improvements. Christenson also noted $1.4 million in ARPA funds used to purchase two new fire engines, plus an addition to the Malden Police.
  
  “One new partnership is with Malden Catholic High School,” he said. “Together, we are adding a new school resource officer, fully funded by Malden Catholic, who will be assigned to the school during the academic year and available to the city during school breaks.”
  
• Public facilities: Public Facilities Director Eric Rubin highlighted $1.4 million in “what I call ‘free money’ through grants” to upgrade mechanical systems across city buildings. And Rep. Katherine Clark secured an $850,000 earmark for Malden schools to repair aging roofs on buildings that are now 26 years old.
  
• Records preservation: The City Clerk’s office is pursuing grants to preserve and digitize historical city documents dating back to 1843, which will eventually be accessible online.
  
• Community & parks: The new Community Connections grant program is entirely funded by the Encore Boston Casino to support local grassroots arts and events—these funds are via a private mitigation agreement, unlike the negotiated funds that the state has zeroed out for two years running. And a combination of federal, state, and local grants are funding the transformative Malden River Works climate resilient park, which will allow Malden to join the ranks of cities with vibrant river walks. Christenson also called out the new and grant-funded ‘Library on the Go’ van, which brings library services directly to homebound seniors and visits parks, schools and community events. 

2. Breaking ground on veterans and affordable housing  
Tackling the regional housing crisis is a top priority for Malden. Christenson called out a brand new 12-unit veterans housing project at 105 Salem St., led by Volunteers of America of Massachusetts. This development will convert a former office space into dedicated housing for veterans, complete with onsite supportive services. 

Looking ahead, more than 200 additional affordable units are in the pipeline for residents, including opportunities for homeownership. Adding to this effort, City Council President Amanda Linehan highlighted the council’s work legalizing accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, noting they offer creative ways to find multi-generational solutions to the housing crunch.

3. Expanding the tax base and business opportunities
“Of course, grants alone are not enough to keep Malden affordable, we must also expand our tax base through strategic economic development,” said Christenson. 

That includes what he called “the most significant project in decades,” the Ward 3 Malden Hospital redevelopment, done in partnership with Tufts Medicine and Acadia Healthcare. A state-of-the-art 144-bed behavioral health hospital will meet a growing regional need while adding to the commercial tax base. 

“And we’re not stopping there,” he said. “Last month, Malden was selected for MassDevelopment’s highly competitive Transformative Development Initiative. This designation brings us substantial new resources, including a full-time economic development professional dedicated exclusively to Malden at no cost to the city. This isn’t just a grant, it’s a true partnership with MassDevelopment.”

The program begins July 1. Since 2015, MassDevelopment has spent $50 million in TDI districts on technical assistance, real estate investments, grant programs and fellows.

“Our goal moving forward is clear — to increase foot traffic, enhance the arts and cultural amenities, and support the small businesses that serve as the heartbeat of our community,” he said.

4. Taking the city census into the digital age
Desiderio shared a major victory for municipal efficiency: modernizing the city census. Acknowledging that the traditional paper form is easy to file and forget, her office brought the process online for some 27,000 households.

“Every census form comes with a QR code, people can go to our city website or use their phones to scan that code and answer their census online without having to worry about losing it,” she said. The results have been positive, with more than 1,000 households responding electronically as of Wednesday, saving money and staff time. Christenson read a glowing review from a resident who reported it “took me less than one minute to get it done.” This reporter can confirm that the process was painless and quick.

5. Driving smart growth on a united City Council
Taking the stage to represent the Malden City Council, Linehan shed light on the behind-the-scenes policy work the council tackles to keep the city “livable and affordable and prepared for things like a changing climate and an evolving economy.” Emphasizing the power of grassroots citizen efforts, she noted that in Malden, local government is a place where voices and ideas are heard, and where stepping up leads to transformative change. She cited successful initiatives including the Ward Five pocket forest, the new Bainbridge St. speed humps, and the citywide PorchFest — all started as resident-generated ideas.

Recognizing that residential development must be balanced with commercial growth to stabilize the city’s budget, she highlighted the creation of a new economic development committee led by Councilor Ari Taylor. The committee is working to identify areas that can be quickly rezoned to maximize their redevelopment potential, with a particular focus on Commercial Street. 

Looking ahead, Linehan teased several new policies currently percolating in the council, including pathways for more residents to open home-based businesses, reimagining Malden’s approach to an equitable parking policy and streamlining the application process for building permits.

6. Advancing green energy and educational equity
Christenson also put a spotlight on the city’s green initiatives and public school progress. Rubin noted that, thanks to a grant for solar thermal panels, Malden High’s 150,000-gallon pool is now heated to a balmy 80 degrees entirely by solar energy — the first such project in the state. 

MPS Superintendent Dr. Timothy Sipple emphasized a renewed commitment to fair access to opportunity for all students. To that end, Sipple shared that students at all five K-8 middle schools are participating in the Nature’s Classroom overnight program this year, for the first time. He also praised the rollout of a new communication platform, Parent Square, that delivers information to families in the language that they prefer.

7. Transforming public parks without tapping city budgets
Alex Pratt, Director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, emphasized how aggressively the city is pursuing alternative revenue to improve its neighborhoods. His team of 13 manages $1.5 million in staff costs — with 75% of that covered by grants. This laser focus on grants has led to a transformation of Malden’s open spaces, said Pratt.

“In the last five or six years, since COVID, we have made $10 million worth of improvements in our public park system, and 90% of that is not paid for by the city,” he said. “We’ve got another $6 million worth of park improvements underway right now through a number of different parks; 70% of those are … not coming out of the city budget, which is really exciting.”

He also invited residents who may need help with home repairs to contact the city.

“We have 27,000 units in Malden, most of them built before World War II,” he said. “If you can’t afford to maintain your home, you have an ally in us and a resource in us to help bring the home up to code, to make it safe and affordable, whether for you, if you live in your home, or if you have low-income tenants, making sure that they have a safe and healthy place to live.”

He invited residents to visit the city’s Community Connections Grants page as well as the Malden Transparency Center, hosted by ClearGov, which offers insights into demographics, financials and ongoing major projects.

8. Demystifying the legal department
Taking the stage to represent a department rarely in the public eye, City Solicitor Alicia McNeil gave residents a crash course on municipal law. McNeil noted that while TV makes law look like it’s all exciting courthouse litigation, her team of seven looks to negotiate deals such that “we don’t have issues where we will then have to go to court.”

When they do face litigation, they defend the city across all departments, including schools, police and fire. She also highlighted the volume of public records requests her office manages, saying they spend time dealing with requests daily and calling out a massive spike to over 1,100 requests just so far in 2026 — a 60% year-over-year increase.

9. Launching a united vision for Malden Public Schools
Sipple wrapped up presentations by laying out the Malden Public Schools’ strategic path forward, grounded in three core values: “We include and we collaborate … we embrace growth, and we do right by all kids.” Sipple outlined a vision prioritizing high expectations, diverse support and fair access. He specifically praised the collaboration between the district and city departments, giving a special shoutout to Rubin and his team in Public Facilities for building a brand new Welcome Center for families at 110 Pleasant St.

10. Spotlighting Malden’s vibrant grassroots community

It wasn’t just city departments getting screen time. Mark Linehan served as emcee and spoke with representatives from Malden Reads, the Malden Farmers Market, PorchFest and Malden Arts.

Malden Reads celebrates 16 sweet years, with help from the library: Jodie Zalk represented the Malden Reads community reading program, which selected “Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng as its 2026 One City, One Book selection. This is the 16th year the program has run, and residents can borrow the book from the library and attend a number of companion events, including an online Citizen Lyceum on March 23. 

Zalk called out the role the Malden Public Library plays in the program.

“They help us with grants. They help us with events. They help us with posting and purchasing books that we distribute to the schools and throughout the community,” she said.

Malden Farmers Market coming back bigger and better: Following a successful debut, the Malden Farmers Market is gearing up for a massive expansion. Organizer Marcel Schwab reported that the 2025 13-week pilot season saw about 500 attendees and around 19 vendors per session. Building on that momentum, the market will return for an expanded 20-week season, from June 17 to late October on City Hall Plaza, with vendor, sponsor and community group applications now being accepted. 

Schwab said there will be 17 regular markets with expanded prepared food and beverage offerings, aiming for a setup where people can shop and have dinner, possibly with live bands. The city will also host three expanded “block party” markets on June 17, Aug. 5 and Oct. 28, where Pleasant St. will close down to accommodate as many as 60 booths.

PorchFest ready to rock the streets in Year 5: The State of the City prominently celebrated Malden’s vibrant arts and music scene, with organizers Katie Dillon and Sarah McDonald dropping exciting details about the upcoming fifth annual Malden PorchFest. Scheduled for May 30, the free citywide concert series has grown exponentially. 

“We have 39 hosts, 85 performers and 71 events across the whole city, in each neighborhood,” said Dillon. The organizers highlighted a kids stage at City Hall Plaza and a special pop-up event at the Bike Kitchen.

The Gallery at 57 highlights local artists: Sandy Felder took the mic to detail the growth of The Gallery at 57, which evolved from a simple question about creating a space for artists into a community hub. 

“Currently, we represent the work of 51 local, diverse artists, 37 of whom are women,” said Felder. The Pleasant St. space serves as a community of artists, hosting book readings, exhibitions and classes. Residents can look forward to June 6, when the “Artists Take the Street” celebration returns and local creators will take over Pleasant St. to demonstrate their work and perform.

The path forward

Christenson addressed the upcoming Special Election on March 31, which asks taxpayers to consider supporting an increase in local property taxes beyond that allowed under Proposition 2 ½.

“We understand that asking residents in a hard-working gateway city like Malden to consider a voluntary increase in property taxes is a big ask,” he said. “It has critics, and we respect that, but it is an unprecedented step, driven by an unprecedented set of circumstances. Regardless of where you stand on the override, the fact that our residents get to decide the future of our city is democracy at its best.” 

Christenson, Linehan and Pratt expanded on the theme of community spirit and asked Maldonians to continue to stay engaged and show up for one another.

“We know that we have a lot of diversity in Malden, we know we have a lot of courage, a lot of excitement, a lot of energy,” said Pratt. “It really is remarkable through history, the communities that come together and survive hard times, financial times, political times, are always those that are closely knit.”