Malden Legislative Delegation Celebrates $50,000 Housing Choice Grant

BOSTON—State Senator Jason Lewis and State Representatives Steve Ultrino, Kate Lipper-Garabedian, and Paul Donato applauded the announcement that the State awarded the City of Malden a $50,000 Housing Choice Grant to develop a multifamily zoning proposal that will comply with the Multifamily Zoning Requirement for MBTA Communities and further the city's housing and economic development goals.

State leaders joined together last week to celebrate this year’s Housing Choice Grant recipients. This grant is part of the Community One Stop for Growth program which streamlines municipal grant proposals that fund economic development projects related to community capacity building, planning and zoning, site preparation, building construction, and infrastructure.

The Housing Choice Grant Program is a competitive grant program that rewards municipalities with a Housing Choice Designation that have produced a significant number of housing units in the last five years and that have adopted or established Best Practices that encourage housing production.

Through this year’s Community One Stop for Growth program, Malden also received $45,050 to develop its multimodal transportation plan and $30,000 to conduct a re-use study and operator request for proposals for the planned Center for the Arts & Culture.

“I’m very pleased to see this funding from the state to support Malden’s ongoing efforts to update the city’s zoning for multi-family housing,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “This project will help create additional housing options with convenient access to public transportation and local services, while also continuing our efforts to confront the climate crisis through stronger zoning plans for local housing.”

“Housing is one of the greatest challenges facing residents of Malden right now. This grant funding will help to create affordable and ethical housing for many members of the Malden community,” said Representative Paul Donato. “It was great to work with the rest of the Malden Delegation on this funding and I look forward to seeing these projects advance."

"I'm thrilled that Malden has been awarded $50,000 in State funds through the Housing Choice Program," said Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian. "These continued investments, which will be used to ensure compliance with the Multifamily Zoning Requirement for MBTA Communities, are a recognition of Malden's leadership in promoting accessibility to public transit, as well as housing and economic development."

“This Housing Choice Grant will allow us to explore multiple zoning options that comply with the new MBTA communities multi-family zoning requirements to determine the best path forward for Malden,” said Mayor Gary Christenson. “Without these resources, we would not be able to conduct the technical analysis and public engagement needed to develop solutions that work for our community.”