Back in session: City Council addresses surveillance cameras, zoning and opens doors for home bakers

By Lorna Garey

Returning from summer recess, the full Malden City Council convened on Tuesday to discuss affordable housing, use of surveillance cameras, regulatory pathways for home bakers and more. 

The meeting opened with moments of silence for local leaders lost over the summer, including community organizers Peggy Logan and Bob Doolittle, alongside acknowledgement of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Councilor Peg Crowe reminded residents of the Malden Fire Department’s annual 9/11 remembrance program to be held this morning, Sept. 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the District One Fire Station across from Malden High School

Chief defends surveillance program 

In the public comment section, the council heard from new Malden Police Chief Mark Gatcomb on use of Flock cameras in the city. 

Paper 369-26, sponsored by councilors Karen Colón Hayes and Ryan O’Malley, calls for a comprehensive administrative and legal review of the city’s contract with Flock Safety, the vendor providing automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology to MPD.

“The issue of Flock has been on everybody’s mind for some time,” said Colón Hayes. “Let’s be proactive and take a look at this.”

Gatcomb did not disclose how many cameras are in use in Malden, but the DeFlock tracking site shows about 10. 

Letters read into the record expressed opposition to use of Flock cameras based on concerns over data retention, AI surveillance overreach and potential law enforcement misuse and urged either a full ban or strict limits. Commenters cited arrests based on flawed data, immigration enforcement fears and the potential for stalking abuses by law enforcement.

“I understand the concerns that have been raised about privacy, civil liberties, access to information and the possibility of misuse,” Gatcomb said. “I believe those are legitimate questions, and frankly, I believe every police department should be asking those questions before putting this technology into use.”

He recounted that Malden previously experimented with automated plate readers in 2013 but cancelled the contract when the vendor could not satisfy the city’s privacy and security standards. When Flock technology was introduced in 2023, MPD decided to take another look at the technology, and Gatcomb said Flock answered questions to the department’s satisfaction. 

“My priority is putting police officers on the street, not replacing officers with additional technology,” said Gatcomb. “We are not using Flock as a surveillance tool. We’re using it as an investigative tool.”

He outlined self-imposed operational guardrails:

Restricted access: Patrol officers cannot run arbitrary database searches from cruiser computers; searches require shift supervisor or detective authorization with a documented justification.

Short retention period: Malden opted for a seven-day data retention window, down from Flock’s standard 30-day default.

Limited data sharing: MPD explicitly blocks data access for federal agencies, including ICE, and the Massachusetts State Police, restricting sharing to 87 peer municipal police departments within Massachusetts.

Gatcomb cited cases solved with ALPR assistance, including a stabbing homicide on Kennedy Drive, the location of a missing endangered senior in Marblehead, a shooting at Overlook Ridge and the identification of a suspect committing serial indecent exposure in Malden Square.

Still, bipartisan opposition to Flock is on the rise in Massachusetts and across the country, as O’Malley noted. Despite the cameras’ usefulness for law enforcement, municipalities across the state are effectively banning use. Somerville and Cambridge require city council approval for any surveillance technology, effectively keeping ALPRs out. Arlington Town Meeting recently voted down a warrant article that would have allowed the police department to install cameras. 

A major point of concern is that Flock owns the cameras and servers in its network, not cities and towns, which purchase the service and lease the ALPRs. A private corporation holding vast amounts of data on the movement of citizens is concerning to many.

“We can’t control how everyone else who potentially has access to the system behaves,” said O’Malley. 

Councilor Chris Simonelli pushed back, citing the usefulness of having cameras in city parks to protect residents.

“I know people get nervous, Big Brother watching, and I’m one of the types of people that if you’re not doing nothing, you don’t have to be worried about it,” said Simonelli. “I’ve got to protect my neighborhood and the children in the neighborhood, so I just think that some kind of camera system would be beneficial and helpful to law enforcement.”

The council voted unanimously to order a full public review of all Flock Safety contracts, purchase orders and audit logs before a Committee of the Whole session that will include the Police Chief, City Solicitor, Controller, and the Police Community Advisory Council (PCAC), which published an FAQ on Flock.

Overhauling inclusionary zoning

The council engaged in a lengthy debate over Paper 335-26, a major overhaul of Malden’s 2021 Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) ordinance proposed by the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD).

OSPCD Director Alex Pratt presented findings from a 2026 economic feasibility analysis that shows Malden’s existing rule, which requires 15% of units in developments of eight or more units to be set aside for low-income households at 50% Area Median Income (AMI), has stalled private market-rate construction.

“Only four affordable housing units were permitted in those market-rate projects, and none since 2023,” said Pratt. “If we can lower the threshold so that more housing can be built, you get more affordable housing.”

The proposed 2026 amendments adjust four key economic levers:

Summary of proposed inclusionary zoning changes

The proposal, while rejected unanimously by the Malden Planning Board, drew support from residents.

“Doorways and bike paths and park benches are not bedrooms, but this is the reality many of our neighbors are facing,” said Katie Dillon during public comments. “Right now, the requirements are too high and incentives too low.”

Simonelli reflected on his own upbringing in public housing.

“I lived in Newland Street Housing Projects for 25 years, then I moved up the street,” said Simonelli. “When I lived in Bowdoin Street Apartments back in 1989, the same apartment was $250 a month, and right now I’m paying $2,000 for a one-bedroom basement apartment.”

He expressed a willingness to make changes. 

“If you don’t make it advantageous for the developers to come in and build these units, I don’t care what your percentage is,” he said. “If they don’t build them, you don’t have them.”

Councilor Jadeane Sica expressed caution over reduced parking requirements, citing severe neighborhood spillover parking near major developments like Altitude and Overlook Ridge.

“They’re literally jumping over a four-foot wrought iron fence, parking on Vining Street and the little stretch of Salem Street before you get on Route One,” said Sica, of apartment residents seeking additional parking. “So the one spot per unit really scares me.”

Ultimately the Council voted to refer the proposal to the Rules and Ordinance Committee for detailed technical refinements before bringing it back for a final vote ahead of a Nov. 10 deadline.

Algerian cookies? Yes please

Small-business creation took center stage with Paper 263-26, co-sponsored by councilors Michelle Luong and Amanda Linehan. The paper amends Malden zoning to permit retail kitchens, aka cottage food operations, in residential dwelling units.

Under state regulations, cottage food operators can produce nonperishable, shelf-stable goods such as breads, jams and roasted coffee from home kitchens. Resident Lilia Haddouche, a school paraprofessional living on Crestview Drive, spoke about her dream of selling traditional Algerian cookies and addressed some of the objections previously raised by the Planning Board.

“I tried the commercial kitchen route, but faced expensive contracts and lost money before I could even start,” Haddouche said. “Think about baking cookies for family and friends for Christmas. Does that create restaurant-level trash, grease or rodent problems? We shouldn’t treat a home baker like a restaurant. Our cultural diversity can become economic opportunity.”

Written comment from Robyn Diorio, owner of Robyn’s Rising Dough, similarly asked the city for a legal pathway to sell sourdough products at local farmers’ markets and via pre-arranged pickups.

Zachery LeMel, Malden’s Deputy Director of Planning and Economic Development, noted that neighboring communities already permit home kitchens, for good reason.

“If you can use your own home, you don’t have to pay for a commercial kitchen, you don’t have to rent space,” said LeMel. “If you’re going to fail, you can fail fast, and you can modify and you can change. And if you’re successful, you can grow and expand.” 

Sica raised questions regarding potential neighborhood disturbance if a home baker went viral on social media, as happened with Shushan Farms in Wilmington, while Councilor Stephen Winslow advocated ensuring the Board of Health establishes local health guidelines prior to launch.

Councilor Carey McDonald moved an amendment specifying that the ordinance take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, or earlier upon Board of Health regulation adoption. The Council agreed, unanimously.

Additional municipal business and zoning

LeMel, when he came to Malden in April, promised to review the table of uses that require gaining a special permit, a multimonth process that adds costs. Some of that effort came to fruition on Tuesday as the council acted on several additional economic development papers.

• They unanimously approved updated definitions incorporating wellness treatments, such as acupuncture, Botox injections, dermal fillers and IV wellness therapy, into commercial medical categories.
• A proposal allowing pre-existing nonconforming commercial or multi-family uses to seek expansion via special permit was referred to the Rules and Ordinance Committee following formatting clarifications. Winslow specifically called out adding guardrails around self-storage facilities.
  “We’re in a comprehensive planning process, so I certainly understand working with existing businesses and allowing them to make some necessary improvements to make their business efficient,” he said. “But it’s a whole different thing if this is going to be the exception that swallows the rule.”
• Proposed zoning table updates allowing certain commercial uses, such as medical offices or restaurants, by-right or via site plan review were referred to committee to ensure they align with Planning Board recommendations.

Personal privilege

Before adjourning at 10:11 p.m., councilors highlighted upcoming autumn festivals, civic initiatives and memorial tributes:

Malden Hispanic Heritage Festival: Councilor Carey McDonald invited the community to the Hispanic Heritage Festival on September 19, 2026, from noon to 4 p.m. at Malden City Hall.

Craft Fair & Harvest Moon Ride: Councilor Stephen Winslow announced a Craft Fair at Trafton Park on Saturday, September 19, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., rain date Sept. 26. He also highlighted the annual Harvest Moon Ride on Sunday, September 20, co-hosted by the Chinese Cultural Connection and Bike to the Sea, featuring mooncakes and a family-friendly cycle route

Winslow also paid tribute to environmental advocate Kathy Wrynn, a longtime member of the Saugus River Watershed Council and key organizer of water stops for Bike to the Sea, who recently passed away

Fairy House Festival: Councilor Peg Crowe shared details on former Councilor Barbara Murphy’s annual Fairy House Festival at Pine Banks Park on September 19 from noon to 4 p.m., featuring children’s book readings by the Library’s Dora Saint Martin

Charity Road Race & Block Party: Councilor Karen Colón Hayes praised the Irish American Club for hosting its annual 5K/10K road race benefiting the Malden Warming Center, thanked Friends of Oak Grove Inc. for a successful neighborhood block party and commended residents for turning out to vote in the Democratic primary.

Rosh Hashanah: Councilor Michelle Luong extended New Year blessings to Malden’s Jewish community observing Rosh Hashanah from sunset on September 11 through September 13.

This is a recap of the Sept. 8, 2026 City Council meeting. The full meeting is on YouTube.

The City Council agenda has links to papers and supporting documents.