The work of the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the housing realm has earned the agencies a top award from the California Chapter – Northern Section – of the American Planning Association.
ABAG-MTC won the Award of Excellence (first place) for the Regional Housing Technical Assistance (RHTA) program in the Planning Agency (public sector) Category as part of APA’s Northern Section Awards Program announced over the weekend.
The RHTA program provides one-of-a-kind technical assistance to support local governments in complying with rapidly evolving laws and adopting and implementing housing elements.
The program launched in 2020 and has delivered more than 25 trainings and more than 200 pieces of technical assistance. The program’s components include shared consultant services, tools and resources. They work together to provide holistic support for the region’s 101 cities and towns and nine counties and their elected officials and planning staff as jurisdictions update their housing plans.
ABAG-MTC are now eligible to apply for an APA California Chapter Award for an honor in the same category.
Bay Area jurisdiction winners in other categories include:
- City of Alameda: Award of Excellence for Dignity Village (Opportunity/ Empowerment category)
- City of Alameda: Award of Merit (2nd Place) for 2023-2031 Housing Element (Comprehensive Plan – Small Jurisdiction category)
- City of Dublin: Award of Merit for SCS Property Community Outreach (Public Outreach category)
- Marin County: Award of Excellence for 6th Cycle Housing Element (Hard-Won Victories category)
- Planning Department, City and County of San Francisco: Award of Excellence for Shared Spaces Program (Economic Planning and Development category)
- City of San Jose: Award of Excellence for San José Diridon Station Area Plan (Comprehensive Plan – Large Jurisdiction category)
- City of South San Francisco: Award of Excellence for 2040 General Plan (Comprehensive Plan – Small Jurisdiction category)