The Melrose Messenger

Demolition Begins on West Wyoming Site

By Ellen Putnam

Demolition work has begun on the site of 31-39 West Wyoming Avenue, which is slated to be developed as a four-story, 27-unit residential building with commercial space on the ground floor. The project will replace a one-story commercial building that has been vacant for some time.

The city’s Planning Board approved the plans for this development in 2022, but work on the site only began this week, after the property changed hands and the new developer secured funding for the project.

The building will include 21 two-bedroom units and six one-bedroom units. This is a contrast to some other new developments in Melrose, which tend to skew more heavily toward one-bedroom units, and are often marketed more toward young professionals and older adults, rather than to families with children. A ground-floor parking garage will include 19 spaces for residents.

The commercial space on the ground floor will have a covered patio adjacent to the sidewalk, possibly allowing for a cafe to move in, although information about possible tenants has not yet been shared.

The building will have heat pumps, and solar panels on the roof. The developer plans to put in a raised crosswalk on West Wyoming Avenue in an effort to increase pedestrian safety, given the increased traffic the development is likely to create. West Wyoming Avenue has been a focus of pedestrian safety concerns, and the intersection of West Wyoming and Berwick Street in particular was the site of a fatal crash several years ago.

At the Planning Board meetings where the plans were approved, neighbors expressed concerns about traffic, pedestrian safety, and the design of the building, which some residents worried would stand out instead of blending with the rest of the neighborhood. Members of the Planning Board countered that they felt that the building’s design, which deliberately has modern elements, would bring vibrancy and invigorate the area.

Posted May 23rd, 2025