Petitioner Eyes Possible New Popeyes Restaurant In Malden

MALDEN, MA — A new location for Popeyes Louisiana Chicken may be coming to Malden at a site near the Malden-Melrose border, according to city officials.

The proposed restaurant would span just over 2,500 square-feet, with a drive-thru lane at what is currently Pine Banks Auto Center at 1100 Main Street. The restaurant has several steps to clear in the municipal approval process, though. And several residents and city officials alike have already voiced their opposition.

“I don’t think it’s a good fit for that area and I don’t think it’s the highest and best use of the property,” City Councilor Ryan O’Malley said on Wednesday.

Parties linked to the plan filed a permit application to construct their Popeyes restaurant in November, city records show. Malden Building Commissioner Nelson Miller said this week that he has also received a letter from the would-be Popeyes site’s current property owner authorizing necessary applications.

James and Robert Celona own 1100 Main St. through a real estate trust, according to Southern Middlesex Registry of Deeds records. They've been operating the Pine Banks Auto Center since 1975.

Popeyes plans, if they move forward, would involve demolishing the auto center building, Miller said.

O’Malley said he first heard about plans for a local Popeyes site several months ago when a representative for the Celonas approached him. O’Malley said the representative told him the Celonas were interested in selling their property to a party interested in building a Popeyes. O’Malley said he expressed concerns at the time.

O’Malley said he later heard from a representative of the prospective buyers, sharing the same concerns.

Patch has reached out to a representative for the Celonas identified in city building permit documents. The representative was not immediately available for comment.

Current Popeyes plans will require variances from certain city zoning requirements to move forward. Ultimately, O’Malley said he feels the project is unlikely to get the variances it needs.

O’Malley continued in recent comments, saying any number of proposals could be a better fit in the area. He pointed to the proposed Popeyes drive-thru in an area of otherwise heavy pedestrian traffic as a major concern with the current vision.

“A fast food drive-thru is like the worst possible use this could be,” he said.

O’Malley previously noted local Popeyes aspirations on Monday, launching a Facebook poll to gauge public opinion on the proposal.

O’Malley’s post drew a mix of responses, including some comments from fellow city councilors.

Opinions varied, but some respondents pushed for a healthier food option in the area. Others raised concerns about traffic, pedestrian safety and other issues.

The proposed Popeyes at 1100 Main St. in Malden sits within Malden’s Ward Four, which O’Malley represents.

Neighboring Ward Three councilor Amanda Linehan was among councilors sharing reactions in response to O’Malley’s post online this week.

Linehan said on Facebook that she was “agnostic on Popeyes as a restaurant.” She continued, though, saying that the prospect of a drive-thru coupled with a small building surrounded by a parking area “seems like the lowest use for this parcel.”

Linehan separately addressed concerns in another comment, saying a mixed use building without a drive-thru — with or without a Popeyes location — might meet less community opposition around Main Street.

Linehan discussed the topic again in a statement to Patch on Wednesday.

Given that the project is outside her ward and since it hasn’t yet proceeded to Malden’s Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals, she said she “wouldn’t necessarily be privy” to details of the current Popeyes plan.

Instead, she said she found out about the idea as discussion got underway on Facebook.

“This is obviously a privately-owned parcel and a Popeyes franchisee would have the right to make a sale with the current owner, and the city of Malden's role at that point would be to work within our existing zoning and dimensional controls to minimize negative impacts on the surrounding neighborhood such as parking, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, tree preservation, lighting, trash removal, construction hours, and so on,” Linehan said in her statement.

She went on to discuss larger development goals, saying that the 1100 Main St. site is close to “very exciting and strategic improvements” on the Melrose side of the Malden/Melrose border.

“Malden is a desirable city for residents and businesses alike, and we ought to be part of building a vision for this neighborhood that is in line with what we've identified as community desires,” Linehan said.

Linehan said priorities include affordable housing, grocery options, walkable casual dining and developments that generate tax revenue for various city needs.

O’Malley this week said he and many of his constituents want Malden’s Main Street area to be a “pedestrian friendly, walkable community.” That vision, he said, contrasts with areas including Broadway in Malden, which currently has multiple drive-thru restaurants.

“That’s not the feeling that the residents of Main Street are looking for,” O’Malley said.

Where he is concerned about a Popeyes on Main Street, O’Malley said he sees an opportunity for a “comprehensive effort” by the city of Malden to help enable redevelopment on parcels like 1100 Main Street.

“Obviously, we want people to be able to make money and have their parcels be productive, but it can’t be detrimental to the neighborhood,” he said.

O’Malley said he has spoken to city officials and fellow City Council colleagues about such an effort.

Popeyes currently has 24 locations around Massachusetts, including sites in Everett, Lynn and Boston. The chain recently expanded, opening a new restaurant in Woburn in recent months.

In Malden, Miller said Popeyes’ petitioner will need to apply for a Special Permit through the city Planning Board in addition to its required variance approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Miller said he was working with the petitioner to complete their variance application as of Tuesday.