Malden planning board tables request to convert storefront at 91–95 Medford Street to sixth unit amid parking and trash concerns

The Malden Planning Board on Wednesday heard testimony and public comment on a petition from 41 Warren LLC to convert 1,650 square feet of a first-floor, formerly commercial storefront at 91–95 Medford Street into a sixth residential unit. Attorney Patrick McDonald represented the petitioner and said the application seeks relief so the building can be used entirely for residential purposes without any expansion to the building’s footprint. McDonald said the prior commercial use lapsed during the pandemic and the owner now seeks to convert the vacant space to make the property consistent with the Residence A zoning of the area.

Why it matters: board members and neighbors focused on immediate operational concerns — notably a persistent deficit of on-site parking, how trash and recycling are stored, and outstanding building-department orders from the period when the commercial tenant operated. Those items affect nearby streets, neighborhood livability and whether the site can function with one more dwelling unit.

The petitioner’s team included Mitesh Rai, identified as a business partner, and Roy Lloyd, the property manager. McDonald told the board the conversion would not change the structure’s footprint and no exterior work is proposed. He described a long dispute…