Malden’s zoning laws are poised to get a major facelift. On Tuesday, the City Council voted to overhaul the 2021 inclusionary zoning framework, dropping the mandatory affordable housing threshold to 10% while increasing developer incentives like density bonuses.
The council also unanimously passed commercial zoning updates meant to fast-track economic development across the city by making more than a dozen types of businesses, including restaurants, allowable by right.
Narrow supermajority vote
The central debate of the evening centered on Committee Report 434-26, which was split to meet voting threshold requirements set by state law.
Paper 335-26, the Ordinance Governance & Framework half of the paper, slashes administrative overhead by transferring reviews of inclusionary zoning compliance to the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD). Developers will no longer need to seek a special permit from the Planning Board.
The most controversial provision lowers the mandatory affordable housing threshold from 15% to 10% for developments creating eight or more net new units. The paper also shifts income eligibility for rental units from 50% to 60% of Area Median Income to provide more per-unit revenue and requires a formal housing market assessment at least every five years.
Because 335-26 makes substantial changes to the city’s zoning ordinance text, it required a two-thirds supermajority of eight votes on the 11 member council. At this point, Councilor Chris Simonelli had left the meeting.
Councilor Ryan O’Malley sought to split the 10% affordability percentage out from Paper 335-26, arguing that lowering the requirement from 15% to 10% was unnecessary given the more generous incentives that were on the table.
“It is not the affordability percentage that is preventing affordable housing and housing from being built in Malden,” said O’Malley. “I do think that more incentives are the way to go, rather than reducing affordability percentages.”
That request to split the paper was ruled out of order by Council President Amanda Linehan and City Clerk Carol Ann Desiderio, who serves as the council’s Robert’s Rules of Order parliamentarian, because dividing 335-26 would leave neither section capable of standing independently.
“The reality is, we cannot force people to build things if the numbers don’t work,” said Councilor Carey McDonald, defending the change. “It doesn’t matter how high the percentage is if it doesn’t actually succeed in getting units built.”
Councilor Steve Winslow agreed.
“Because of inflation and because of high interest rates right now, it’s very hard to plan and require that 15%,” he said. “There was a lot of technical expertise that goes into looking at the market and really establishing what can work. So there’s a lot of analysis that this is based on.”
Councilor Jadeane Sica expressed skepticism over reductions in required parking and cited concerns raised by some city staff in the Inspectional Services division.
“When both our building commissioner and our city planner raise concerns about a zoning change, I think we owe it to our residents to listen,” said Sica, noting overflows of cars from larger developments in her ward, including many with out-of-state plates. “Until I’m confident that the concerns of the building commissioner and the city planner have been addressed, I unfortunately cannot support this paper.”
Paper 335-26 was enrolled on a 9–1 vote, with Sica voting no and Simonelli absent.
Councilor Karen Colón Hayes thanked the OSPCD team and members of the ordinance committee for their work on the proposal and noted that the city doesn’t need to wait five years to revisit the affordable percentage.
“If we see some kind of change in the market, which would be amazing, and more affordable housing was to be developed, we could come back to it and hopefully raise it back up,” said Colón Hayes.
Paper 335A-26, which required only six votes to pass, establishes incentives designed to help developers offset the cost of building affordable units. The term “inclusionary project” applies to all mixed affordable/market rate developments subject to the bylaw, excluding fully affordable projects.
Incentives include:
- Density bonus: For every required affordable unit built in an inclusionary development, developers are granted two additional market-rate units, up from one unit under the 2021 ordinance. For 100% affordable projects, an additional story not to exceed 11 feet is allowed by special permit. A caveat is that this explicitly excludes the Res A districts that make up most of the city.
- Fee-in-lieu reform: Developers can no longer unilaterally choose to pay a fee to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in lieu of building affordable units. These requests now require review and authorization by the Affordable Housing Trust board.
- Parking adjustments: The new rules, in a compromise brokered by Councilor Peg Crowe, replace per-bedroom parking requirements with projectwide per-unit minimums to encourage family housing with two or three bedrooms. Required spots are set at 1.1 parking spaces per unit for market-rate units and .75 spaces per unit for affordable units.
McDonald supported this change, explaining that shifting the parking calculation away from flat per-bedroom minimums toward per-unit ratios removes a major financial barrier to building multi-bedroom, family-size apartments.
Paper 335A-26, adding the incentives, passed unanimously. Both papers still need final approvals by the council; those votes are expected on Nov. 10.
Zoning updates also enrolled
The council took up a slate of zoning changes designed to streamline permitting for a variety of business types. The broader package was previously split into two parts: Paper 327-26 contains by-right updates, while the paper covering uses subject to site plan review, Paper 327A-26, remains in the Rules & Ordinance Committee until site plan review provisions are finalized.
Paper 327-26 updates city code to make approximately 15 commercial and industrial businesses allowable by right — that is, they don’t automatically require review by the Planning Board — in designated commercial and industrial zoning districts. Newly by-right uses include medical centers, non-fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, body art, licensed massage therapy, adult day care, kennels, research & development and towing. Hospital expansions in industrial districts are also permitted.
That paper passed unanimously.
A split-off proposal sponsored by Winslow and Linehan to permit hotels of up to six stories, not to exceed 75 feet, was referred to the Rules & Ordinance Committee for study alongside hotel site plan review procedures.
Pole positions
National Grid is seeking to install five new utility poles and underground cable conduits to support electrical load upgrades. That paper was split so the council could address the poles separately from the cable conduits.
Sica and abutter James Fitzgerald voiced opposition to one proposed pole that would be placed in front of Fitzgerald’s 6 Blaine St. home, which he said is already flanked by poles.
“It’s too much of a bad thing,” said Fitzgerald. “Gives some driver another target to aim for to knock it on top of my house.”
In response, National Grid representatives agreed to shift the pole in question 20 feet toward the corner.
For the conduits, Sica and Councilor Steve Winslow reminded the National Grid reps of upcoming work on the Broadway corridor.
“We’re getting ready to redesign Broadway, and we would prefer a city engineer to take a look at these plans of what you’re going to do at that location before we actually approve it, to make sure that it doesn’t disrupt anything we’re doing,” said Sica.
The underground conduit installation proposed on Broadway and Eastern Avenue was paused pending review by city engineers.
ACO oversight change, salaries and appointments
Animal control officer transfer: The Council enrolled an ordinance transferring administrative oversight of the city’s animal control officer (ACO) from the Police Department to the Department of Public Health and Human Services, reflecting an operational shift toward community wellness, animal welfare and public health.
Appointments: The Council unanimously confirmed three reappointments to the Board of Health. Scune Carrington, John Colangeli and Kunwar Singh will serve new three-year terms expiring in October 2029.
Salary schedule: The council unanimously ordained an amendment to formalize salary schedules for assistant department heads across city operations. In addition, it shifted $157,000 from the salary reserve account to cover departmental salary needs across seven departments and moved $220,000 from salary reserve to police salaries to cover a retroactive 3% cost-of-living adjustment for the patrol union through June 30.
Snow bill comes due
The Council sent a proposal to the Finance Committee to cut $800,000 from the DPW budget, allowing the city to pay off last year’s snow and ice deficit through the 2027 tax report, as is allowed by the state. This move is needed to allow the council to take up an order, sponsored by McDonald, to continue to offer a residential exemption and set the minimum residential factor for the FY 2027 tax rate. That will be addressed at the Nov. 10 meeting. Let’s hope the coming winter requires less plowing.
Personal privilege and announcements
Councilor Winslow announced the Ward 6 Halloween Celebration at Trafton Park on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. That event will feature a costume contest, games, raffles, an appearance by the Zombie Ventriloquist and more to support the Maplewood Association.
Winslow also highlighted ADA accessibility improvements completed at Club 24 for Ward 6, Precinct 2 voters and reminded residents to drive especially carefully this Saturday night.
Councilor Ari Taylor reported that more than 300 guests and 65 volunteers attended the Haunted Woods event, where gift cards were collected for residents displaced by a fire.
“I especially want to say thank you to all the firefighters and the various cities and towns that came out on Friday to help with the Porter Street fire, and the entire community for coming together to help these folks,” said Taylor. “There will be updates posted as soon as we can get everything together. And then hopefully I’ll see you all on Bainbridge Street on Saturday night for trick or treating.”
Pine Banks park was frightfully fun at the recent Haunted Woods on Oct. 24, with plenty of teen zombies to provide scares. If you missed the Haunted Woods, check out the city’s Halloween page for other events. (Photos courtesy of Amanda Linehan (above) and Kay Micklitsch Allen, aka the undead nun.)
Councilor Crowe added that approximately 800 children attended the weekend Trunk-or-Treat event.
“Mother Nature really shined upon us,” she said. “I thought the line was never going to end. I was getting really nervous!”
Fortunately, the candy supply held out.
Councilor Paul Condon highlighted a Ward 2 cleanup in partnership with GMAACC and Karen Buck of Malden River Works on Saturday, October 31 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Councilor McDonald reminded everyone that Sunday is the end of Daylight Saving Time for 2026.
“I don’t like Daylight Standard Time, and I feel unreasonably passionate about that, as does our U.S. senator who lives here, Ed Markey,” they said. “But nonetheless, it is happening. So don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour on Sunday.”
Council President Linehan announced a citywide Comprehensive Master Plan drop-in workshop scheduled for Saturday, November 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Senior and Teen Center.
This is a recap of the Oct. 26, 2026 City Council meeting. The full meeting is on YouTube.
The City Council agenda has links to all papers and supporting documents.
Correction: This incentive was listed as included, but it was taken out in committee: “Location allowance: The paper establishes a special permit pathway allowing 100% affordable projects up to three stories, with a 35-foot maximum height, in all city zoning districts except Industrial.”
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