The City of Boston and Codman Square NDC surveyed eight small businesses on Washington Street, encouraging them to enroll in NSTAR’s Direct Install program that provides energy efficiency upgrades to small businesses. With the NSTAR Direct Install program, NSTAR would pay for 70% of energy efficiency upgrades that the small businesses may need. 

The four businesses moving forward with the energy upgrades offered through the NSTAR Direct Install program (including Flora’s Beauty Supply, Angel’s Meat Market, L&R Clothing and Footwear, and Saint’s Diner and Restaurant) they have an average energy savings of 52%. Codman Square NDC also participated in the program, and looks forward to including new solar panel systems on 4-6 buildings including their own, which would save roughly $3,721 in energy annually.​

MACDC will join three Massachusetts CDCs (Lawrence CommunityWorks, Twin Cities CDC, and NeighborWorks Southern Mass) at the Community Progress Leadership Institute (CPLI), to be held on the campus of Harvard Law School March 17-20.  Sponsored by the Center for Community Progress; this is the fourth year of the Institute. The Massachusetts participant cities (Lawrence, Fitchburg, and Brockton) will be joined by delegations from Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, and from Greensboro and High Point, North Carolina.

CPLI brings together delegations from multiple cities for intense leadership and technical assistance training under the guidance of national experts. These delegations return home better equipped to address large inventories of blighted and vacant properties for the benefit of their communities.

The selected cities range in population from just over 40,000 to nearly half a million and have citywide housing vacancy rates of 6-19% and high rates of abandonment. They also face challenges, such as mortgage foreclosure, poverty, tax delinquency, and other property issues. These cities were selected for CPLI because they demonstrate strong leadership and a commitment to developing new solutions for vacant, abandoned, and other problem properties.

Each participating City will send a delegation that includes a CDC representative, local public officials ranging from Housing and Community Development Directors to City Solicitors to staff from Inspectional Services and Health Departments, and another person from the private or nonprofit sectors. Don Bianchi will be representing MACDC, and the MA Attorney General’s office will also be participating.

For additional information, contact Don Bianchi at MACDC at donb@macdc.org.

MACDC is thrilled to announce that David Bryant has joined our staff as the new Director of Advocacy. David has more than twenty-five years of experience in policy development, legislative strategy, and governmental relations and advocacy, including as the Director of Government Relations for The Trustees of Reservations, one of the nation’s first regional nonprofit conservation organizations. In addition to his government relations work, David has advised a range of entities –small startup companies, political campaigns, regional and national nonprofits – on strategies for communications, organizational development, public policy advocacy, economic development, and advancement.  He has served on a number of nonprofit boards, including the Charles River Watershed Association, the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities (Mass Humanities), Generations Inc., and the Cambridge-Ellis School.

“David is a great addition to our team,” commented Joe Kriesberg. “We’re excited to have him representing CDCs and the community economic development movement at the State House. With a new legislative session just beginning, this is the right time to bring a well-respected advocate onto our team to help champion our issues.”

Welcome aboard, David!

CHECK OUT MACDC's complete board and staff listing.

Five Community Development Corporations in Massachusetts are looking for new leadership: Fenway Community Development Corporation, Urban Edge, Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (Viet-AID), Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, and Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation.CHECK OUT MACDC's Jobs Board many job openings across in our field across Massachusetts.

On February 4th, MACDC sent a letter to Richard Davey, President and CEO of Boston 2024. The letter, while neither supporting, nor objecting to the Olympics being held in Boston in ten years, highlighted four main areas of focus: Housing, Transportation, Economic Opportunity and Community Engagement. Each of these issues is critical to ensuring the Olympics create long-standing benefits for the region and expand opportunities for everyone.

CLICK HERE to read MACDC's Letter to Boston 2024

The snowstorms over the past two weeks have crippled Eastern Massachusetts' transportation services, blocked roads and made for a completely treacherous and lengthy commute to work and school. The exteme weather has exposed how much work we have to do to repair and rebuild the Commonwealth's transportation infrastructure.

Sign the T4MA Petition and let our elected officials know how frustrated you are with the current condition of our roads and transit system.