Est. 1993
Chartered as a Mass Chapter 40-F CDC in 1993 as part of the McKnight HOPE 1 Planning Project, the McKnight CDC has moved to make locally controlled development a reality.
The McKnight CDC was begun in 1993 as a Chapter 40-F CDC as an outgrowth of the HOPE 1 Planning Project, which was itself an outgrowth of the efforts of the McKnight Council and McKnight Homeowners Association to develop and implement ways of including lower-income residents in the ongoing work of renovating the McKnight Community.
Present work has expanded to include not just renovation of the 1880 Dodge-Howard House moved to prevent demolitions and the 1850 Kibbe Mansion to create a new “City of Homes” Living Museum in the McKnight District and revival of the McKnight District Improvement Association, but a range of community-development-related activities with a more regional geographical impact.
The CDC is now working to support Western New England Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, or W N E COSH, a new organization to bring workplace safety advocacy and training back to Western Mass, sponsorship of construction sector training and work by local contractors through Uptown Construction Collaborative, Inc., promotion of Fair Housing through Open Housing of Western Mass, Inc., work on a plan for Adaptive Preservation by conversion of historic homes to energy efficient houses powered by Solar PV and Geo-Thermal Energy, reduction of local Health Disparities in cooperation with Born Free Outreach Services, Inc and the Hilltop Veterans Association, Inc., and promotion of historic preservation through building code reform through the sponsorship of the American Institute of Historic Preservation, Inc. as well a other related work.
This includes both advocacy with public officials and support for several pieces of pending legislation that will, if enacted, allow leaders of historic communities such McKnight to take control of their own destiny.
Those interested in these programs should contact the McKnight Office, either at (413) 301-6308, or by email at mcknightcdc@gmail.com.