Final Regional Housing Need Allocation to be Released Summer 2013

The Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) is the state-mandated process to identify the total number of housing units (by affordability level) that each jurisdiction must accommodate in its Housing Element. As part of this process, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) identifies the total housing need for the San Francisco Bay Area for an eight-year period (in this cycle, from 2014 to 2022). ABAG and MTC must then develop a methodology to distribute this need to local governments in a manner that is consistent with the development pattern included in the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS). Once a local government has received its final RHNA, it must revise its Housing Element to show how it plans to accommodate its portion of the region's housing need.

As part of the RHNA process, local jurisdictions within a county have the opportunity to form a subregion to develop their own methodology and carry out their own allocation process. For the 2014-2022 RHNA, subregions were formed in Napa, San Mateo, and Solano Counties.

Process:
ABAG and MTC have sought to engage local jurisdictions, stakeholders, and members of the public throughout the process of developing the RHNA. In January 2011, ABAG and MTC convened the SCS Housing Methodology Committee, comprised of local elected officials, staff and stakeholders from throughout the region, to advise staff on developing the RHNA methodology. Between January 2011 and April 2012, the committee met almost every month to deliberate about how best to allocate the region's housing need to jurisdictions and ensure consistency between RHNA and the SCS.

In addition, public participation is encouraged throughout the process of developing the RHNA, especially at public meetings and during official public comment periods following the release of discussion documents and board decisions. The major milestones of the RHNA process are outlined in the 2014-2022 RHNA / SCS Schedule. The key steps are described in more detail below.

Key Milestones:
In February 2012, HCD provided ABAG with its determination of total regional housing need. HCD indicated that Bay Area jurisdictions must plan for 187,990 units between 2014-2022.

In May 2012, the ABAG Executive Board approved the draft RHNA methodology and a draft share of the region's total housing need for each of the subregions. Release of the draft methodology initiated a 60-day comment period, including a public hearing on June 6, 2012, for ABAG to receive comments about the methodology.

In July 2012, the ABAG Executive Board adopted the final RHNA methodology and released draft allocations.

Release of the draft allocations on July 20, 2012 initiated a 60-day period in which a local jurisdiction could request a revision to its RHNA. By the September deadline, ABAG received revision requests from 14 jurisdictions. None of the revision requests were granted.

Local jurisdictions that requested a revision had until February 2013 to appeal ABAG's decision in response to the revision request. Eight jurisdictions submitted appeals. ABAG's Executive Board has formed an ad hoc committee to hear the appeals and provide its recommended actions to the Executive Board. The Appeals Committee will hold a public hearing to hear the appeals on April 1, 2013.

Next Steps:

• April 1, 2013 - RHNA Appeal Committee considers appeals submitted by local jurisdictions
• June 2013 - ABAG issues final RHNA allocation
• July 18, 2013 - ABAG adopts final RHNA allocation
• December 2014 - Local governments adopt housing element revisions

• Hing Wong, 510.464.7966, HingW@abag.ca.gov
• Gillian Adams 510.464.7911 GillianA@mtc.ca.gov