allocation of housing need to the cities and counties within the region. Allocations are based on factors that consider existing employment, employment growth, household growth, and the availability of transit; need is determined for households in all income categories from very-low to above-moderate (ABAG, 2008). The jurisdictions are required to plan for their allocated number of housing units within the housing elements of their general plans. Housing elements are required to be updated every seven to eight years, following timetables adopted by the state. The housing element must identify and analyze existing and projected housing needs and “make adequate provision for the existing and projected needs of all economic segments of the community,” among other requirements.
Changes to Housing Element law, specifically, AB 1233 passed in January 2006, require “communities that failed to comply with requirements to make available sufficient sites to meet their regional housing need in the previous planning period must, within the first year of the new planning period, zone or rezone enough sites to accommodate the RHNA not accommodated from the previous planning period.”
The housing element law also allows for the establishment of a subregion, consisting of at least two cities and a county, for the purpose of allocating the subregion’s existing and projected need for housing among its members. The purpose of establishing a subregion is to recognize the community of interest and mutual challenges and opportunities for providing housing within a subregion. For the current (2007-2014) allocation period, San Mateo County, in partnership with all its cities, formed such a subregion for the purpose of allocating the projected housing need in the county, and has formed a subregion for the 2014-2022 allocation process that is currently in progress (ABAG, 2012, p.5). This is discussed in conjunction with Brisbane’s regional housing need allocation below. Housing Elements within the ABAG region are required to have their elements updated for the “Fifth Cycle” by January 31, 2015. The final adopted RHNA for the Fifth Cycle (January 2015 through January 2023) indicates the following as Brisbane’s fair share of regional housing needs:
- Very Low Income: 25 households
- Low Income: 13 households
- Moderate Income: 15 households
- Above Moderate Income: 30 households
- Total Needs (2015-2023): 83 households
There are no text changes to Chapter 4.L, Public Services, of the Draft EIR.