On the afternoon of Sunday, October 4, a pontoon boat pulled away from a new floating dock behind the Malden Department of Public Works building while families watched from the shore. The Mystic River Watershed Association counted more than 300 people at the grand opening of Malden River Works Park. Thomas "Spirit Tree" Green of the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag opened the day with a blessing of the land and water. The rest of the afternoon brought live music, face painting and a children's storytime with Malden Reads.
MyRWA calls it the first-ever riverfront park in the City of Malden. If you walk in at 356 Commercial Street expecting a finished waterfront destination, though, you'll find something different. Most of what got built here sits below the lawn. The visitor side of the park, meaning restrooms, a boathouse and a way to rent a boat, is still a phase away.
Phase 1 was mostly digging
According to The Advocate's September report, "Phase 1" meant the park's horizontal construction. That covered excavation, soil remediation, underground drainage and stormwater treatment, landscaping, the dock and the play features. The same report says the park was designed to fix the flooding that troubled the DPW yard for years.
Here's what the flood-control design called for, per the same report.
- Park elevations were raised above the sea level rise projections for 2070.
- The new stormwater retention system can hold up to 14,055 cubic feet of water.
- More than 250 new trees went in, drawn from over 20 native species, plus more than 80 species of other native plants.
- A bioretention garden now sits in front of the DPW building.
That's why the place looks the way it does. The lawn, rain gardens and plantings you walk past are doing a job, and MyRWA describes features like the rain gardens, drainage and soil cleanup as built to keep the ecosystem in and around the river healthy. This stretch of the Malden River was heavily industrial for a long time, with very little public access. The park is the first time the city has opened a public front door to it.
It also took a long time to get here. Planning began in 2019, when the project won the first Leventhal City Prize from MIT's Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism. The Advocate reports the park has been funded entirely by grants so far, from 18 different federal, state, local and private programs.
What you can use today, and what's still coming
Here's how the park looks as of mid-October 2026, based on what the City and the project partners have published.
| Feature | Status in October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Plaza and flexible lawn | Open |
| Picnic tables and play areas | Open |
| Waterfront paths | Open |
| Floating dock | Built; the City calls it a public boating dock |
| Public restrooms | Planned for the future boathouse |
| Bayrd Boathouse | Phase 2; work likely to start early 2027, pending funding |
| Public boat rentals | Under consideration by the City |
The biggest missing piece is the boathouse. In late August the City received a $500,000 grant from the Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation, and the building will be named the Bayrd Boathouse in the foundation's honor. It will mainly serve the Malden High School crew team, but it will also hold public restrooms open to everyone using the park. The City is also looking into programs that would let people rent boats on the river. Phase 2 also includes a salt shed in the DPW yard.
Steering Committee Chair Marcia Manong summed up where things stand when she spoke to The Advocate:
"This grant is helping us get closer to the finish line."
The steering committee is made up of resident leaders of color working with environmental and government partners. Since the project started in 2019, MyRWA says, thousands of Malden residents have helped shape the plan.
Planning a visit before the restrooms arrive
Since the visitor features are still coming, a little planning helps. A few details are confirmed and a few aren't.
Parking. For opening day, the City's event listing said the park lot was limited and sent overflow parking across Commercial Street to ABCD Head Start. That was event-day guidance, and the City hasn't published a routine parking plan.
Hours and rules. We didn't find posted regular hours or park-specific rules in anything the City or project partners have published so far.
Paddling. The City describes the dock as a public boating dock, but we didn't find published rules for launching your own kayak or canoe. If you do plan to get on the water, MyRWA runs a live boating advisory for the Malden River. Its daily predictions can flag high bacteria or cyanobacteria, and the river showed "Advisory" status when we checked. That status changes, so look it up the day you go.
Restrooms. None were identified for Phase 1. The City has said public restrooms will come with the boathouse.
All of this points to a short visit. You walk the paths, let the kids use the play areas, eat at a picnic table, and then head somewhere nearby for the rest of the afternoon.
Commercial Street picks up where the park leaves off
The park's neighbors fill the gaps Phase 2 hasn't reached yet. Here are three that have current, posted hours.
- Idle Hands Craft Ales, 89 Commercial St., Malden. It's on the same street as the park. Posted taproom hours are Tuesday through Thursday 3 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 11 p.m., and Sunday noon to 7 p.m. It's closed Mondays, though the brewery's events calendar lists a special opening on Monday, October 12.
- The Establishment, 175 River's Edge Dr., Medford. It's just over the city line on the river, in the space The Porch used to occupy. Posted hours are Sunday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Park-9 Dog Bar and Lala's Pizza, 48 Waters Ave., Everett. It sits on the Northern Strand Community Trail and has its own pizza kitchen. Posted bar hours start at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. on weekends.
Hours change, so check each place's own page before you head out.
Getting there on two wheels
Bike to the Sea has marked a 3.2-mile Malden River Loop. It uses the off-road Northern Strand in Everett, local streets and the Route 16 bridge, and it reaches the riverfront park at River's Edge on the Medford and Malden side. The loop was mapped before Malden River Works opened, and we didn't find a signed, continuous route from the new park's entrance to the Northern Strand. Plan your last stretch on Commercial Street yourself. The Malden River Works river page links to a map of existing paths and planned routes along the water.
The B2C Bike Kitchen, at 158 Canal Street on the Northern Strand, offers weekly shop hours, tools and repair help. It's also hosting one of the city's Halloween events this month.
Two October dates within reach of the river
The City's calendar lists a Trunk or Treat at 158 Canal Street on Sunday, October 25, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The night before, Saturday, October 24, Haunted Woods runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Pine Banks Park, 1087 Main Street. Pine Banks is on the other side of the city. The Canal Street event, though, puts a fall weekend afternoon right on the trail that the river loop uses.
So far, the park itself has no confirmed events on the calendar after opening day. The next big change is the boathouse, now expected to break ground in early 2027 if the remaining funding comes through.
Our office in Maplewood Square has watched Malden change since 2002, and we're glad to see the river finally open to the public. If you're wondering how projects like Malden River Works and the planned Bayrd Boathouse might affect what your home is worth, Coldwell Banker First Quality Realty can help. Get your instant home valuation, and our team will talk it through with you in English or Spanish.
