Dear Malden Residents,
Some of you
have jokingly offered a few dollars to purchase City Hall but the City Council
and I are hoping for much more. Working together, we have crafted the Request
for Proposals (RFP) so as to encourage creative and innovative options for what
could be done with this land. A hotel, movie theater, and/or open space are
some of the examples we incorporated into the request. We also added specific criteria
that need to be met in order for the RFP to be viable including that the
existing building be demolished and that Pleasant Street be reconnected.
This
opportunity would not have been possible without your valuable input. In
formalizing the RFP, we were able to utilize the Master Plan in which hundreds
residents participated as well as the work of the Harvard Graduate School of
Urban Design students that was completed this past year. Submissions are not due
back until mid-October. We are hoping this extended time frame will allow
applicants the time to think outside of the box and submit innovative options
that will help us revitalize this area of the downtown. Thanks again to the
City Council for their support and we will continue to update you as
information becomes available during this important step for the future of
Malden Square.
GARY CHRISTENSON
Mayor, City of Malden
