Malden City Council enrolls ADU zoning ordinance after heated debate, 8-1

The Malden City Council on Tuesday enrolled an ordinance amending Title 12 of the city zoning code to establish rules for accessory dwelling units, voting 8-1 to adopt the measure as amended.

The ordinance, filed as Paper 13‑25, sets a limit of one ADU per lot, requires site plan review for all ADUs, allows the building commissioner to determine whether a dwelling qualifies as an ADU, and adds several procedural clarifications including a 14‑day timing standard for site plan decisions and no separate fee for the site plan review as part of a building permit application.

Councilors debated multiple amendments and policy tradeoffs for nearly three hours. Supporters said the ordinance puts local guardrails in place so Malden is not forced to default to broader state rules; opponents said the council was giving away too much local control, especially over dimensional limits, parking and green space.

“Let’s make this clear to the to the residents. There’s no affordability component. None,” Councilor Spadafore said in opposition, arguing the ordinance lacked dimensional controls and would permit increased density without protections for open space. Councilor Spadafore said he “will not be supporting this.”

Other councilors framed the measure as the…