News, Views and Analysis from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments
Youth from all nine Bay Area counties will play a role in the Horizon planning process over the next three years. Read More
March's Map of the Month from MTC and ABAG Executive Director Steve Heminger looks at Bay Area "Opportunity Zones" designated by the State of California Department of Finance (DOF).
From the Executive Director's latest report to the MTC Commission and ABAG Executive Board:
Read MoreThe federal tax bill, passed in December 2017, allows investors to defer or eliminate capital gains on investments made in “Opportunity Zones”. These zones must be designated by the governor in each state from a set of eligible Census tracts. Governors must select no more than 25 percent of eligible tracts statewide. Federal criteria for determining eligible areas states that tracts must either have poverty rates above 20 percent or median family income below 80 percent of either the statewide or metropolitan area income. Slightly over 3,500 Census tracts in California qualify under this criteria, spread across 54 counties. The state’s final recommendation is provided on the map. Within the Bay Area, 530 tracts were eligible under the federal criteria, of which 107 were recommended by DOF to the governor. Of the 107 recommended tracts, 94 tracts were MTC Communities of Concern.
Read MoreA jurisdiction is subject to SB 35’s streamlining requirements if it has not made sufficient progress toward its Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) goals, or if it failed to submit its latest Housing Element Annual Progress Report.
Priority Development Areas (PDAs) are neighborhoods near transit and other amenities that city or county governments have identified and approved for future growth. PDAs are key to the "Focused Growth" strategy at the heart of Plan Bay Area 2040, the nine county region's long-range transportation and land use plan.
Applications are due March 5, 2018 for three MTC PDA assistance programs (Planning, Technical Assistance, and Staffing) that will help local governments plan for and implement PDAs within their jurisdictions, and thereby help the region achieve its goals for the environment, economy and equity.
For more information, contact Mark Shorett, PDA Program Manager, mshorett@bayareametro.gov, (415) 820-7994. Read More