DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF HOUSING POLICY DEVELOPMENT
2020 W. El Camino Avenue, Suite 500 Sacramento, CA 95833 (916) 263-2911 / FAX (916) 263-7453 www.hcd.ca.gov
June 9, 2020
Therese W. McMillan, Executive Director Association of Bay Area Governments 375 Beale Street. Suite 700 San Francisco, CA 94105
Dear Therese W. McMillan,
RE: Final Regional Housing Need Determination
This letter provides the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) its final Regional Housing Need Determination. Pursuant to state housing element law (Government Code section 65584, et seq.), the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is required to provide the determination of ABAG’s existing and projected housing need.
In assessing ABAG’s regional housing need, HCD and ABAG staff completed an extensive consultation process from March 2019 through May 2020 covering the methodology, data sources, and timeline for HCD’s determination of the Regional Housing Need. HCD also consulted with Walter Schwarm with the California Department of Finance (DOF) Demographic Research Unit.
Attachment 1 displays the minimum regional housing need determination of 441,176 total units among four income categories for ABAG to distribute among its local governments. Attachment 2 explains the methodology applied pursuant to Gov. Code section 65584.01. In determining ABAG’s housing need, HCD considered all the information specified in state housing law (Gov. Code section 65584.01(c)).
As you know, ABAG is responsible for adopting a methodology for RHNA allocation and RHNA Plan for the projection period beginning June 30, 2022 and ending December 31, 2030. Pursuant to Gov. Code section 65584(d), the methodology to prepare ABAG’s RHNA plan must further the following objectives:
- Increasing the housing supply and mix of housing types, tenure, and affordability
- Promoting infill development and socioeconomic equity, protecting environmental and agricultural resources, and encouraging efficient development patters
- Promoting an improved intraregional relationship between jobs and housing
- Balancing disproportionate household income distributions
- Affirmatively furthering fair housing
Pursuant to Gov. Code section 65584.04(d), to the extent data is available, ABAG shall include the factors listed in Gov. Code section 65584.04(d)(1-13) to develop its RHNA
Therese W. McMillan Director Page 2
plan, and pursuant to Gov. Code section 65584.04(f), ABAG must explain in writing how each of these factors was incorporated into the RHNA plan methodology and how the methodology furthers the statutory objectives described above. Pursuant to Gov. Code section 65584.04(h), ABAG must submit its draft methodology to HCD for review.
Increasing the availability of affordable homes, ending homelessness, and meeting other housing goals continues to be a priority for the State of California. To support these goals the 2019-20 Budget Act allocated $250 million for all regions and jurisdictions for planning activities through the Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) and Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) Grant programs. ABAG has $ 23,966,861 available through the REAP program and HCD applauds ABAG’s efforts to engage early on how best to utilize these funds and HCD looks forward to continuing this collaboration. All ABAG jurisdictions are also eligible for LEAP grants and are encouraged to apply to support meeting and exceeding sixth cycle housing element goals. While the SB 2 Planning Grant deadline has passed, ongoing regionally tailored technical assistance is still available through that program.
In addition to these planning resources HCD encourages local governments to consider the many other affordable housing and community development resources available to local governments that can be found at https://www. hcd. ca. gov/grants- funding/nofas. shtml
HCD commends ABAG and its leadership in fulfilling its important role in advancing the state’s housing, transportation, and environmental goals. ABAG is also recognized for its actions in proactively educating and engaging its board and committees on the RHNA process and the regional housing need, as well as creating tools to aid the public understanding in the process. HCD especially thanks Paul Fassinger, Gillian Adams, Aksel Olsen, Dave Vautin, Bobby Lu, Matt Maloney, and Elizabeth Bulgarin for their significant efforts and assistance. HCD looks forward to its continued partnership with ABAG and its member jurisdictions and assisting ABAG in its planning efforts to accommodate the region’s share of housing need.
If HCD can provide any additional assistance, or if you, or your staff, have any questions, please contact Megan Kirkeby, Acting Deputy Director, at megan.kirkeby@hcd.ca.gov or Tom Brinkhuis, Housing Policy Specialist at (916) 2636651 or tom.brinkhuis@hcd.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Megan Kirkeby Acting Deputy Director
Enclosures
HCD REGIONAL HOUSING NEED DETERMINATION
ABAG: June 30, 2022 through December 31, 2030
| Income Category | Percent | Housing Unit Need |
| Very-Low* | 25.9% | 114,442 |
| Low | 14.9% | 65,892 |
| Moderate | 16.5% | 72,712 |
| Above-Moderate | 42.6% | 188,130 |
| Total | 100.0% | 441,176 |
| * Extremely-Low | 15.5% | Included in Very-Low Category |
Notes:
Income Distribution:
Income categories are prescribed by California Health and Safety Code (Section 50093, et. seq.). Percents are derived based on Census/ACS reported household income brackets and county median income, then adjusted based on the percent of cost-burdened households in the region compared with the percent of cost burdened households nationally.
Leave a Reply