Regional Housing Technical Assistance
ABAG Helps Cities, Counties Meet New State Housing Mandates
After enacting ambitious new laws directing cities and counties to step up housing approvals, the California Legislature and Governor included new funding in the FY 2019–20 State Budget to help local governments update their housing policies. Seizing this opportunity, and using a one-time, $24 million state Regional Early Action Planning grant from the state’s Housing and Community Development (HCD) department, ABAG in late 2020 launched its Regional Housing Technical Assistance (RHTA) program, which includes some $11 million in direct assistance to local governments. RHTA serves as a bridge between HCD and local governments responsible for land use policies. The RHTA program already is strengthening relationships between state regulators, the region and ABAG’s 109 local jurisdictions, while advancing an integrated, comprehensive approach to solving the Bay Area’s critical housing shortage.
Upcoming Events
Affordable Housing Month |
May |
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ABAG General Assembly |
June 17 @ 9am |
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Program Details
The program’s goal is to assist local jurisdictions in adopting and implementing compliant Housing Elements, ensuring that Bay Area jurisdictions remain competitive for various state funding programs to increase housing opportunities. More information can be found in:
- The Regional Housing Technical Assistance Fact Sheet
- Overview of Regional Housing Technical Assistance presentation
For details on the impact of not meeting state requirements, see Consequences for Noncompliance with State Housing Law.
Staff Contact
Heather Peters
Email: hpeters@bayareametro.gov
Get More Information
Sign-up for the RHTA mailing list to get additional program information.
Get Trained
ABAG has completed 20 training webinars to equip local planners with knowledge, tools and resources to update housing elements to meet the new state requirements. More webinars are planned. You can view recordings of past sessions and register for new ones on the RHTA Training page.
Get Tools and Resources
Visit the Data Tools & HESS page to find the HESS tool and other regional data tools to help you increase housing opportunities in your community.
Get Tailored Assistance
Recognizing that a top-down approach to the historically local issue of housing will be counterproductive, ABAG granted nearly $5 million in RHTA funding to Bay Area counties to support Planning Collaboratives, Peer Cohorts and Work Groups to spark a culture of innovation via peer-to-peer learning, sharing of best practices and lessons learned. More information can be found on the Planning Collaboratives and Work Groups web pages.
Work Groups & Collaboratives
- County Planning Collaboratives meet regularly. To get more information, contact the coordinators.
- Leading With Equity Work Group launched in early 2022.
- Making Middle Housing Work Group completed its work in early 2022. View this webpage for details and presentation resources.
- Wildfires – How to Preserve & Protect Housing Work Group completed its work in late 2021. All presentation resources and additional information are available on this webpage.
