Malden River Works Park Set To Open After Years Of Planning

This project is intended to provide public access to a section of the Malden River that has historically been inaccessible.

By Benjamin Pierce, Patch Staff

Sep 25, 2026 1:03 PM EDT

MALDEN, MA — The first phase of a project that will give Malden residents direct access to the Malden River is now complete, with the city preparing to celebrate the opening of its first riverfront park next weekend.

A public celebration marking the completion of the first phase of Malden River Works Park will be held Sunday, Oct. 4, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the park behind the city's Department of Public Works yard at 356 Commercial St. The event will include city officials, project organizers, environmental advocates, and community members involved in the project.

The Malden River Works Park is the result of more than five years of planning and collaboration between the city, a steering committee that includes Malden resident leaders of color, Friends of the Malden River, the Mystic River Watershed Association and a project team of urban designers, watershed planners, and climate resilience planners. The project is intended to provide public access to a section of the Malden River that has historically been surrounded by industrial and commercial properties.

Work during the first phase included excavation, soil remediation, underground drainage and stormwater treatment infrastructure, landscaping, a dock, and play features. The park was also designed to address flooding in the DPW yard and improve climate resilience, with a bioretention garden, more than 250 new trees representing over 20 native species, and more than 80 species of other native plants.

A stormwater retention system at the site is capable of collecting up to 14,055 cubic feet of water, while elevations throughout the park were raised above projected 2070 sea level rise levels. The completed park will also include a plaza, flexible lawn area, picnic tables, play areas, waterfront paths, and a floating dock.

Planning for Malden River Works began in 2019 after the project received the inaugural Leventhal City Prize from MIT's Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism, launching a multi-year planning and fundraising effort that incorporated input from Malden residents. The project has been entirely grant-funded to date, receiving support from 18 different federal, state, local and private grant programs.

Work is also planned to continue with a second phase of the project, which will include construction of a new boathouse and salt shed in the DPW yard. The city recently received a $500,000 grant from the Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation to support construction of the Bayrd Boathouse, which will primarily serve the Malden High School crew team while also including public restrooms for park visitors. Construction is expected to begin in early 2027, pending additional funding.

Mayor Gary Christenson, Malden River Works Steering Committee Chair Marcia Manong and state Undersecretary of Decarbonization and Resilience Katherine Antos are among those expected to speak during the Oct. 4 celebration. Thomas "Spirit Tree" Green, vice president of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, is also expected to participate, while representatives from the Mystic River Watershed Association and Leventhal City Prize are tentatively scheduled to speak.