Board OKs 36 Rental Units After First Vote Fails
Malden's Planning Board approved 36 affordable rental units at 245 Bryant Street only after an initial vote failed and was reconsidered.
Planning Board · Meeting of September 9, 2026
Malden's Planning Board approved 36 affordable rental units at 245 Bryant Street only after an initial vote failed and was reconsidered. ACDC director of real estate Mugia Undemir said the switch from homeownership to rental was forced by a statewide shortage in the Commonwealth Builders Program, the state's sole affordable-homeownership subsidy source; Malden has committed $1.1 million toward the roughly $12 million project. Clerk Diane Chuha cast the lone "no" vote on the first 5-1-1 tally, saying "I don't want Malden to become a transient where now we just have rentals and no home ownership," then moved reconsideration herself; the second vote passed 6-0-1 with member Eric Henry abstaining both times.
OSPCD Director Alex Pratt said the city is still pressing the state to preserve homeownership funding for the related Overlook Ridge project. The board separately voted 7-0 to let AGM Auto Sales relocate its dealership and repair shop to 150-160 Charles Street, after City Planner Michelle Romero corrected a parking-requirement error mid-meeting from 38 to 43 spaces and flagged a 77 percent snow-storage shortfall.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
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- The complete report — 2,716 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of September 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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