Malden Planning Board Unanimously Approves Wingstop and Medical Spa Special Permits

MALDEN — May 13, 2026 — Malden Planning Board unanimously approves special permits for Wingstop and a medical aesthetics spa. The board, meeting with only six of its expected members present on May 13, required all six affirmative votes to pass either petition and achieved that threshold twice. Attorney Patrick McDonald, representing franchise holder Malden Minuteman Wings, LLC, secured a 6-0 vote to open a 20-seat Wingstop at 44 Broadway in Broadway Plaza — the former GameStop space — with hours of 10:30 a.m. to midnight seven days a week and an estimated 100-day build-out period before opening. The permit's five conditions include a prohibition on fire lane use for pickups or deliveries and a daily litter management requirement for the entire plaza, which Staff Planner Michelle Romero noted had visible debris during a morning site visit. Romero flagged that the restaurant use increases Broadway Plaza's parking deficiency from 120 to 142 spaces against a 933-space requirement, though the board accepted the finding given that roughly 92 percent of Wingstop's business is takeout or third-party delivery. Nurse practitioner Mackenzie Richards won a separate 6-0 vote for Thrive Beauty Spa at 473 Eastern Avenue, which she has operated since 2019 without a permit, with written support from Ward 5 Councilor Ari Taylor and two neighboring businesses.