MCDA History

Background:

Governed by the Mayor of the City of Marlborough and a nine-member Board of Directors, the Marlborough Community Development Authority (MCDA) serves as the community development and public housing authority for the City of Marlborough. The MCDA secures and administers resources that support affordable housing, neighborhood improvements, and assistance programs for youth, elderly, and families. The MCDA Board oversees both Community Development and Housing. The Mayor of the City of Marlborough is the Chair of the MCDA. Massachusetts General Law mandates that two of the board members are the City Auditor and the Comptroller, who are both non-voting members, one member of the Board is appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts, and one member must be a tenant in one of the MCDA’s public housing program. Mass General Law also mandates that additional Board members must include one from the real estate community and one from a financial/bank institution.

Legal Authority:

The Marlborough Public Housing Authority was established in 1952. In 1979, the Marlborough Public Housing Authority merged with the Marlborough Development Authority to form the current Marlborough Community Development Authority. The MCDA is an urban renewal agency within the meaning of M.G.L. c.121B, an Economic Development and industrial corporation within the meaning of M.G.L. c.121C, and a Community Development Authority created by Special Act in 1979 (Chapter 327 thereof), as amended by Chapter 380 of the Special Acts of 2004, and Chapter 395 of the Special Acts of 2008.

Programs:

The MCDA's two major divisions are Public/Leased Housing and Community Development. The Public/Leased Housing Division owns and manages 227 units within 3 state public housing developments, manages 135 U.S. Housing & Urban Development (HUD) portable Section 8 vouchers, and manages Massachusetts DMH and AHVP vouchers. The Community Development Division oversees the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, Local Initiative Program (LIP) properties, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), 30B affordable housing properties, and other related programs.