Priority Sites and Technical Assistance projects win regional planning awards

Three projects supported by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments received awards this month from the Northern California chapter of the American Planning Association (APA), recognizing work across the housing and technical assistance portfolios. 

Two projects funded by the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority’s Priority Sites Loan Program won awards:

• North Berkeley BART Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) received an Urban Design Award of Excellence (first place). This award honors the community advocacy, objective design standards, the City of Berkeley’s first-ever AB 2011 entitlements, and the design team’s master plan. Priority Sites funding will support the construction of 145 affordable homes on the North Berkeley BART parking lot. Numerous partnerships helped to make this effort possible. 
• The Lake Merritt BART Station Area Plan received an Implementation Award of Merit (second place). This award highlights the Oakland Chinatown neighborhood for its early and ongoing community engagement processes, with over $1 billion in community investment since the plan was adopted in 2014. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission funded the creation of the Station Area Plan and Priority Sites funding supported the construction of 97 apartments for seniors and formerly-homeless people in the Clara E. Chan Lee Residences. Many public and private sector partners contributed to the success of this project. Read more about the Priority Sites loan for the Clara E. Chan Lee Residences. 

The Regional Housing Technical Assistance (RHTA) Program received a Communications Initiative and Outreach Award of Merit (second place) for the Welcome home! Housing in our Community toolkit. These resources provide planners and other public sector staff with creative, approachable public engagement materials for conversations about housing. The goal of these resources is to help staff lay the foundation for long term housing goals by establishing a shared vocabulary for all ages and encouraging residents to explore community values and opportunities. 

The awards will be distributed at the APA Northern California awards gala in the fall. 

The RHTA Program provides one-of-a-kind technical assistance to support local governments in complying with rapidly evolving laws and adopting and implementing compliant Housing Elements. Learn more on the RHTA webpage. 

Established in 2019 as the state’s pioneering regional housing entity, BAHFA focuses on large-scale solutions for affordable housing production, preservation and tenant protections. BAHFA is jointly governed by the BAHFA Board, which is composed of the same members as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the Association of Bay Area Governments. Learn more on the BAHFA webpage.