This repository contains a notebook for reproducing the San Francisco Bay Area RHNA Cycle 6 Allocation. The methodology and illustrative allocation was adopted by ABAG's Executive Board on January 21, 2021. The purpose was to distribute the 441,776 units as required by California Department of Housing and Community Development, broken into four income categories:
| Income Category | Percent | Housing Unit Need |
|---|---|---|
| Very Low | 25.9% | 114,442 |
| Low | 14.9% | 65,892 |
| Moderate | 16.5% | 72,712 |
| Above Moderate | 42.6% | 188,130 |
| Total | 100% | 441,176 |
California state law recognizes that local governments play a vital role in developing affordable housing. In 1969, the state mandated that all California cities, towns and counties must plan for the housing needs of our residents—regardless of income.
This state mandate is called the Housing Element and Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. As part of RHNA, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, determines the total number of new homes the Bay Area needs to build—and how affordable those homes need to be—in order to meet the housing needs of people at all income levels.
ABAG, working with the Housing Methodology Committee (HMC), then distributes a share of the region’s housing need to each city, town and county in the region. Each local government must then update the Housing Element of its general plan to show the locations where housing can be built and the policies and strategies necessary to meet the community’s housing needs.