Peer Cohorts are designed to connect community planners sharing similar challenges, to provide targeted technical assistance and facilitate longer term peer-to-peer networking. Work Groups are short-term, issue-specific trainings and work sessions for jurisdictions adopting similar legislation or working on similar projects. Cohorts and Work Groups will be staffed and funded at the regional level by ABAG.

Zoning For Affordability

The Zoning for Affordability Work Group started in April. These sessions are aimed at jurisdictions looking to:

• Adopt an inclusionary zoning ordinance, density bonus policy or affordable housing overlay zone or similar program; or
• Update their existing ordinance or program to make it more effective.

Meeting information will be shared with participants in advance of each session. For more information, contact Josh Abrams, 510.761.6001, abrams@planningcollaborative.com or Rick Jacobus, ‪510.653.2995, Rick@streetleveladvisors.com. 

Presentation materials will be added as each session is complete. View details about all the work group sessions, or see details for each of the sessions below:

Session 1: Introduction

Session 2: Evaluating an Inclusionary Housing Policy 

Session 3: Evaluating Economic Feasibility, Monday, June 5th: 1-2:30 pm

Session 4: Compliance Alternatives, Wednesday, June 28th: 10-11:30 am

Session 5: Working with State Policies, Thursday, July 27th: 10-11:30 am

Session 6: Communicating with the Public, Thursday, August 24th: 1-2:30 pm 

Transforming Aging Malls & Office Parks 

Completed in the fall of 2022, this work group was designed for local planning, housing and economic development staff interested in learning about the challenges and opportunities involved in transforming aging malls and office parks into neighborhoods affordable to households across the income spectrum.

The work group included six workshops focused on planning, housing and implementation. Each session included practical takeaway information, resources and tools that local staff could readily integrate into their work. Review the sessions here.

In advance of the Work Group, a webinar highlighted findings from a white paper on mall and office reuse challenges and opportunities in the Bay Area and beyond. View the presentation from the webinar.

Leading with Equity

This work group convened in 2022 and was comprised of 15 planning and housing department staff seeking to advance racial and housing equity policies and programs within their Housing Element work. The work group focused on promoting leadership development, capacity building toward navigating institutional change, peer-support and one-on-one coaching. The lessons from the work group helped participants develop tools and products to aid jurisdiction staff in embedding equity into their housing policy and planning work. 

Making Middle Housing Work

This work group focused on "missing middle" housing and how to develop and implement a middle housing strategy. The group explored a sequence of topics, as shown in the list below. Materials from each session, including session recordings, slide decks and notes are posted below as well as a list of key products that were created which will be useful to jurisdiction staff. This includes an interactive Middle Housing Feasibility Tool that lets jurisdictions test how changes to development standards can support or hinder middle housing feasibility. 

• Session 1: What is the Missing Middle?
• Session 2: The Middle Housing Market
• Session 3: Making Middle Housing Happen
• Session 4: Making Middle Housing Affordable
• Session 5: Projecting Middle Housing Production
• Session 6: Talking about Middle Housing

Key Products

• Middle Housing Feasibility Tool: Accessing this tool requires a password. Email Clair McDevitt for more information.
• Bay Area Middle Housing Market Report
• "Zoning for Middle Housing" Guidebook
• "Making Middle Housing Affordable" Guidebook
• Middle Housing Zoning Changes and RHNA
• Middle Housing Mythbusters
• "What Is Middle Housing?" customizable slide deck

Wildfires – How to Preserve and Protect Housing

This work group was designed for local planning and housing staff interested in learning about how the emerging regular reality of wildfires can be included in agencies land use planning efforts, including Housing Elements and Safety Elements. The work group held four virtual sessions with experts presenting current information and best practices, case studies, and recent experiences. These sessions helped local agencies gain a better understanding of the evolution and behavior of wildfires, defensible space, home hardening, evacuations (new laws, practical approaches, and new models), and responsive land use planning in the (WUI) Wildfire/Urban Interface. 

View details about all four Wildfires work group sessions, or see details for each of the sessions below:

• Session 1: Wildfires & Housing 101
• Session 2: Defensible Space & Home Hardening with CAL FIRE Updates
• Session 3: Evacuations – The Law, Practical Approaches & Technology Tools
• Session 4: Land Use Planning in the WUI including ADUs

Peer Cohorts and Work Groups Contact:

For more information, email HousingTA@bayareametro.gov.