How are Regional Housing Needs Allocation numbers determined?
This is a complex process that begins with the State of California. The State prepares projections about expected population growth in the state and then allocates a portion of the total state population growth to each region. Regional planning organizations in turn distribute the regional allocation among local jurisdictions. For the Bay Area, the regional planning agency is the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). There are three primary objectives in allocating the residences to local jurisdictions; increasing housing supply, affordability and housing type; encouraging infill and efficient development; and promoting a jobs/housing balance. ABAG uses a formula with weighted criteria to accomplish these objectives and allocate the housing units. The criteria include projected household growth (this accounts for 45% of the allocation), employment growth (22.5% of the allocation), existing employment (22.5%), household growth near transit (5%), and employment growth near transit
