THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 27, 2020 Page 5 “Malden: Today, tomorrow and yesterday”… Cohousing comes to Malden legendary long-winded storytellers like “Preacher” Jack. AnMALDEN: TODAY | SEE PAGE 13 Bay State Commons Cohousing groundbreaking ceremony. (Photo Courtesy of Paul Sherman) By Peter F. Levine S amuel Clemens’ pen name was Mark Twain. According to legend, a reporter found Twain and asked him to comment on the rumor that he was dead. As the story goes, Twain replied that “reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” During Malden’s gloomiest days when “The Beast That Ate Pleasant Street” (thanks for the nickname Freck!) was acting as Malden’s version of Godzilla leaving death and destruction to the downtown area; barren, devoid of life and activity. The occasional tumbleweed spotted blowing down the wind tunnel that Pleasant had become. Like Twain’s death, though, reports of Malden’s demise were, indeed, greatly exaggerated. Fast forward and along comes the progressive, forward thinking leadership of Jeff’s son Mayor Gary Christenson. His promise to “tear that building down!” in addition to surrounding himself with nothing but the best and brightest have turned Malden’s fortunes around quicker than you can say “Jackie Robinson”! A booming downtown restaurant business bringing the Square back to life much like Joe Morgan of the Boston Red Sox and his “Morgan Magic” in 1988 bringing the Sox back from the dead. “Christenson Magic” continues with that never-say-die attitude! With that said it was a breath of fresh air when I picked up the local papers and saw Bay State Commons breaking ground at the old Legion site on Pleasant Street. The ill-fitting hard hats a distraction – nonetheless it was an historic event. Insert smiley face. Mayor Gary and Councillor-at-Large Steve “Bike Path to the Future” Winslow joined Bay State Commons Cohousing founding members Vladimir Barash and Peter Goldstein leapfrogging into Malden’s 21st century with this innovative concept called cohousing. Scheduled for a late 2021 grand opening – cohousing “balances community and privacy, creating a traditional neighborhood designed for social interaction and developed by residents working with innovative architects.” I really like that! What this means is that the individuals who buy into this concept will become fully invested in their neighborhood and city. They will put down roots right here in Malden. They will become an important cog in this community. The development, a 30unit condo building, will add beauty and serenity to both the architecture and landscape in a neighborhood/city eager to embrace both. Kudos to Ward 2 Councillor Paul “Mr. Cohousing” Condon for having the vision to embrace the idea. I spoke with one of the coolest cats in Malden and a leader in the movement to get cohousing to Pleasant Street, Paul Sherman. As always Paul was cogent and engaging: “the members of this project envision their building as a handsome new addition to an already diverse Pleasant St. Returning green space to what was blacktop and adding a historical marker paying tribute to the memory of what was previously located there – the American Legion Post 69 Club. The building will also be a departure point for its members – to Malden Center for subway and buses taking them to work, to local businesses for socializing, to the new city hall for civic involvement. These people gathered to develop a building and a neighborhood, on their own, will be active citizens of Malden and, inside and outside, their structure will reflect the can-do attitude that got their project completed.” Learn more about Bay State Commons and cohousing at www.baystatecommons.org. Remember Malden, we have “nothing to fear but fear itself!” Insert another smiley face! Spotted in front of the pharmacy at Stop & Shop on a recent wintry Malden day, one of the more colorful characters to ever come out of the Edgeworth/Devir Park area. A friend of mine since he was a mere pup holding big brother Eddie’s hand as they crossed Malden Street to the safety of Devir Park. Kevin Larson has been on the injured reserve list for a few months now. But his gift of gab remains intact, his long-winded diatribes rivaled only by other Everett's Newest Real Estate Office Commercial Sales and Leasing Residential Home Sales Real Estate Consulting Apartment Rentals Real Estate Auctions Business Brokerage Personal Property Appraisals Mass Licensed Auctioneer 560 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149 | 617-512-5712 | sam@broadwayRE.com ADRIANA RESNICK DOMENICA RIGGIO SAM RESNICK
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