Public Hearing Wednesday Morning on River’s Edge Development
A rendering of the view from the Malden River of one of the proposed office buildings. Photo courtesy Gensler.
Story updated 1:39PM Wednesday, September 12, 2007
– Allison Goldsberry
“We’ve come a long way, baby!â€
Those were the words of Mayor Michael McGlynn after the Mystic Valley Redevelopment Commission approved a new plan for the River’s Edge development at a public hearing Wednesday morning.
Ten years after Medford, Malden, and Everett decided to do something with shared brown field land on the banks of the Malden River, the old industrial site is transforming into a mixed use development with a park, a boathouse, office buildings, and housing.
“For many of us on this side of the river there was no Malden River…To go down there now is nothing short of magnificent,†said McGlynn.
Developer John Preotle has spent more than $1 million cleaning up the site, including removing 1200 tons of “stuffâ€- 350 tons of rubber and tires, assorted trash and junk, and even an old, 270-foot long barge covered in debris and stuck into the riverbank.
Now people will enjoy a large riverfront park with walking trails and granite seating walls that overlook the river. It took 10,000 shrubs, 40 benches, over 100 trees, and a three-foot soil cap to create the ten acres of public green space along the river from the polluted land.
McGlynn praised the developer’s attention to detail and commitment to green space, even going so far to spend $12,000 to save a beloved willow tree that could face sudden death if choked by the environmentally necessary soil cap.
The park is accessible from the Wellington MBTA station and plans are in the works to connect riverfront paths from the project to Station Landing to the Mystic River Reservation and into Medford Square.
The park will serve as the backdrop for three office buildings and one residential building. There will be a large parking lot and a parking garage to service the three office buildings.
According to project architects, the buildings will be energy efficient and will be designed in light colors with lots of glass to provide a soothing, reflective backdrop for the landscape.
Project architect Doug Gensler said careful attention was paid to the building design so they complemented the extensive green space and didn’t appear too large.
“I’ve never worked on a project that’s had this much dedication to open space,†said Gensler.
The four proposed buildings are the first phase of the project and all are on Medford’s side of the river.
No word yet on a construction timeline though plans should be announced in the next few weeks.
More on River’s Edge…