Housing

Housing

Housing

The Bay Area faces a deepening housing-affordability crisis. ABAG is working hard to promote changes in housing policies to make our region a better place to live. How do we move forward during this critical period?

There is no simple solution, but there is broad consensus; we need a coordinated effort to increase housing production at all levels of affordability, preserve existing affordable housing and protect vulnerable populations from displacement.

ABAG works with local governments, regional and state agencies, legislators, housing and business advocacy organizations and community leaders to promote housing solutions.

We focus on research, data collection and technical assistance to support efforts to resolve the Bay Area’s housing crisis.

ABAG assists local governments with housing issues by:

  • Collaborating across the Bay Area to implement housing strategies
  • Providing current housing data through extensive research
  • Promoting housing policy best-practices
  • Delivering specific technical tools and assistance
  • Pursuing changes at the state, regional and local levels that affect us all

RHNA - Regional Housing Needs Allocation

The RHNA process determines the number of new housing units—at several affordability levels—that each county, city and town’s general plan must accommodate. The goal is to plan for housing for residents at all income levels. ABAG is responsible for conducting the Bay Area’s RHNA process every eight years via the Housing Methodology Committee in conjunction with local elected officials and staff, stakeholders, and residents from around the region. View information about the sixth cycle of RHNA and its Housing Methodology Committee.

ABAG Housing Committee

The Housing Committee supplements ABAG’s housing planning work, increasing regional leadership in Bay Area housing issues and advising the Executive Board on a variety of housing programs and policies.  These include efforts to comprehensively address the housing crisis through a combination of housing production, preservation and protection activities and strategies to prevent homelessness.

This committee will meet at least quarterly, and as needed, to discuss issues of concern. All meetings and agendas for this committee, as well as meeting recordings, will be posted on the Meetings page.

Review the complete list of committee members and representatives in our Committees Roster.

For more information please email the ABAG Clerk of the Board, Fred Castro at

fcastro@bayareametro.gov.

BAHFA - Bay Area Housing Finance Authority

The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) is a shared initiative of ABAG and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), in partnership with cities and counties, to step up efforts to address the Bay Area’s chronic housing affordability challenges. ABAG and MTC have committed to expanding the agencies’ regional housing portfolio and BAHFA represents a key financial pillar of these efforts.

Established by AB 1487 (2019, Chiu) BAHFA is the first regional housing finance authority in the state and will offer a powerful new set of financing and policy tools to promote housing affordability.  ABAG and MTC policymakers collaborated closely during the legislative process to establish BAHFA, including its unique joint governance structure that requires a double green-light process to obtain policy and programming approvals from both the ABAG Executive Board and the BAHFA Board (composed of the same board as MTC). One of the key features of BAHFA is its ability to raise significant new funding for the 3Ps (Protection, Preservation, and Production) through a regional revenue ballot measure.

A part of the Bay Area’s expanded regional housing portfolio toolbox, BAHFA aims to develop a comprehensive regional strategy for helping local governments tackle the housing crisis on a larger scale by transcending city and county boundaries. Learn more about BAHFA.

Housing Permit Database

ABAG collects data about residential building permits issued throughout the Bay Area. You can find location, building type, affordability level, what neighborhoods are growing and much more. 

Housing Policy Directory & Toolkit

Find out what housing policies are in use in communities throughout the Bay Area and learn more about housing best practices, including links to sample ordinances.

Visit housing.abag.ca.gov.

An intersection with transit and bike lanes in front of a large apartment building.

Virtual Workshop: Investing in the Future of Bay Area Housing

Learn about the Bay Area’s proposed regional bond measure to invest in the production and preservation of affordable housing.

Technical Assistance Portal

The Technical Assistance (TA) Portal has a variety of resources for local agency staff.