Seven Bay Area governments earn ‘pro-housing’ designation from state

Seven Bay Area jurisdictions have been given a Pro-housing Designation as part of a California Department of Housing and Community Development program.

To earn the Pro-housing Designation, a city, town or county must demonstrate it is promoting climate-smart housing development by enacting pro-housing policies, including but not limited to streamlining multifamily housing developments, up-zoning in places near jobs and transit to reduce emissions, and creating more affordable homes in places that historically or currently exclude households of color and those earning lower incomes.

Pro-housing Bay Area jurisdictions noted through July 14:

• City of El Cerrito
• City of Emeryville
• City of Oakland
• City of Redwood City
• City of Santa Rosa

• County of Sonoma
• Town of Windsor

Local governments designated as pro-housing can receive priority processing or funding points when applying for several funding programs, including:

• Affordable Housing & Sustainable Communities (AHSC)
• Infill Infrastructure Grant (IIG)
• Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) 
• Solutions for Congested Corridors
• Local Partnership Program
• Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) 

The 2019-2020 Budget Act provided a spectrum of support, incentives, and accountability measures to meet California’s housing goals, and provided for the establishment of the Pro-housing Designation Program.

The Department of Housing and Community Development is in the process of a regular rulemaking process, which will convert the emergency regulations that first established the Pro-housing Designation Program, in effect making the program permanent. Emergency regulations will remain in effect through the regular rulemaking process.